National Child Abuse Prevention Month, 1998

_______________________________________________________________________

Part IV

The President

_______________________________________________________________________

Proclamation 7076--National Child Abuse Prevention Month, 1998

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7076 of April 1, 1998

National Child Abuse Prevention Month, 1998

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

All of us at one time or another have been shocked by
news reports about a child who has been abused,
neglected, or abandoned. Unable to comprehend such a
betrayal of trust, we find ourselves hoping that these
incidents are isolated and rare. The most recent
reports from State child welfare agencies, however,
confirm that one million cases of substantiated child
abuse or neglect occur in our Nation every year. Of
these cases, more than a thousand children--many under
the age of four--do not survive; and most die at the
hands of a parent or other family member. As a caring
society that cherishes our children, we must work
together to protect these little ones who cannot
protect themselves.

Two of our greatest resources in the crusade against
child abuse and neglect are knowledge and compassion.
We must raise public awareness that these cases, while
often hidden, can occur in any family and community in
America. As responsible adults, we must learn more
about the signs of child abuse so that we may report
suspected incidents as soon as possible. We must
support community programs that help to identify
families at risk and intervene before abuse becomes
deadly. As individuals and as members of our
communities, we need to support services, programs, and
legislation that will help to relieve the stresses on
families that can sometimes lead to violence. We must
strengthen the partnerships among schools, social
service agencies, religious organizations, law
enforcement, and the business community so that child
abuse prevention efforts will be comprehensive, swift,
and effective.

Backing up such efforts at the State and local level,
my Administration is focusing Federal attention and
resources on combating child abuse and neglect. We are
supporting family-based prevention services that help
at-risk families reduce violence in the home. We also
are continuing to give the States resources to build
and maintain strong protection systems for children in
danger. And for those children who cannot remain safely
at home, we worked with the Congress to enact the
Adoption and Safe Families Act, which makes it easier
to place at-risk children more quickly into a permanent
and secure environment.

This month, as Americans celebrate spring and its
promise of new life, let us reaffirm our commitment to
the lives of our Nation's children. I encourage
communities across the country to join together to
raise awareness of the tragedy of child abuse, to learn
more about what we can do to help end such abuse, and
to strengthen efforts to support children and their
families before the cycle of abuse can begin.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim April 1998 as National Child
Abuse Prevention Month. I call upon all Americans to
observe this month by resolving to take every
appropriate means to protect our children from abuse
and neglect, to restore their shattered trust, and to
help them grow into healthy, happy adults.

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