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HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, In 1982, Congress designated June 6-12 as the
3first National Child Abuse Prevention Week; the following year,
4President Ronald Reagan proclaimed April to be the first
5National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a tradition that
6continues to this day; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Child abuse and neglect is a major social problem
8in Illinois, annually affecting 30,000 children in more than
917,000 families statewide; according to the Children's
10Bureau's Child Maltreatment 2013 Report, an estimated 1,520
11children died as a result of abuse or neglect in the United
12States in 2013; and
 
13    WHEREAS, It is estimated that more than 100,000 cases of
14abuse go unreported each year; the impact of abuse on children
15manifests itself in many ways; the affected children may
16experience a range of emotional, psychological, and physical
17problems and trauma as a result of being abused or neglected;
18and
 
19    WHEREAS, There are various organizations and agencies that
20devote their full-hearted efforts to combating this vicious
21problem and seek to provide these at-risk children with options
22that help prevent and relieve afflicted children from the

 

 

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1hardship that is child neglect and abuse; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Organizations like the Children's Advocacy
3Centers of Illinois, Children's Home + Aid, and Prevent Child
4Abuse America have provided children and families the
5opportunity of healing the wounds left from the harmful results
6of child neglect and abuse; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Established in 1995, the Children's Advocacy
8Centers of Illinois is a network that coordinates and provides
9a comprehensive response to child abuse in Illinois through 37
10locations in the State, working closely with the Department of
11Children and Family Services and the Illinois Attorney
12General's Office; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Children's Home + Aid has regional offices in
14Bloomington, Rockford, Chicago, and Granite City; the
15organization is a leading child and family service agency in
16Illinois; each year, it protects, educates, and counsels more
17than 40,000 children, youth, and families to overcome the
18overwhelming obstacles of poverty, abuse, and neglect; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Founded in Chicago in 1972, Prevent Child Abuse
20America works to ensure the healthy development of children
21nationwide; the organization promotes this mission through a
22network of chapters in 50 states and nearly 600 Healthy

 

 

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1Families America home visiting sites in 39 states, the District
2of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Commonwealth of
3the Marianas, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands,
4and Canada; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Illinois State law requires that Mandated
6Reporters, including most professionals in education, health
7care, law enforcement and social work, report suspected neglect
8or abuse; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Health care professionals and concerned
10individuals continue to try and raise awareness for and
11education in emotional child abuse in the community and among
12parents so as to produce a pro-active solution to the problem
13of child abuse and neglect; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The National Child Abuse Prevention Month is a
15time to acknowledge the importance of families and communities
16working together to prevent child abuse and neglect, and to
17promote the social and emotional well-being of children and
18families; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
20NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
21designate the month of April in 2015 and 2016 as Child Abuse
22Prevention Month in the State of Illinois; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That we encourage communities throughout the
2State to share child abuse and neglect prevention awareness
3strategies and promote prevention across the State of Illinois.