Child Health Day, 1995

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 6828 of October 2, 1995

Child Health Day, 1995

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

In hospitals and homes across the country, children
begin life free from the burdens of the world. With
their eyes and minds open to every influence, they
depend on their caregivers to help them take the first,
tentative steps toward adulthood. Parents and other
family members, communities and churches, educators and
the media--all play a role in these crucial early
years, providing young people with the direction they
need to become happy, productive citizens.

Tragically, far too many children go without this
essential love and guidance, living in homes,
neighborhoods, and schools where they see and endure
violence. One in five pregnant women is abused by her
partner; millions of children each year are reported to
public social service agencies as being neglected or
abused; and in the decade between 1982 and 1992, the
number of these reports increased 132 percent. We know
that young men and women suffer lasting effects from
such experiences--teen suicides have tripled in the
last 35 years, and countless youth have grown up to
continue the cycle of destructive behavior in their own
relationships and families.

In recognition of these heartbreaking realities, the
theme of Child Health Day, 1995, is the elimination of
violence. As our Nation observes this special day, let
us renew our commitment to America's children and
rededicate ourselves to ending the physical and
emotional mistreatment that damage self-esteem and
well-being. Solutions to the plague of violence lie
within our own society, and we can find hope in the
partnerships forming among public health and mental
health professionals, schools, law enforcement
officers, religious groups, child care experts, and
community leaders. Their efforts, aided by the
extensive Federal network already in place, will help
to strengthen families and instill in our young people
the ambition and spirit that has always driven America
forward.

To emphasize the importance of nurturing children's
growth and development from birth to maturity, the
Congress, by joint resolution approved May 18, 1928, as
amended (36 U.S.C. 143), has called for the designation
of the first Monday in October as ``Child Health Day''
and has requested the President to issue a proclamation
in observance of this day.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim Monday,
October 2, 1995, as Child Health Day. On this day, and
on every day throughout the year, I call upon my fellow
Americans to deepen their commitment to protecting
children, taking the necessary steps to meet our
obligations to them and to our Nation's future.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
second day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen
hundred and ninety-five, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and twentieth.