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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, affecting 16,000 children statewide; in FY 2017,
9according to the Children's Bureau's Child Maltreatment 2015
10Report, an estimated 1,670 children died as a result of abuse
11or neglect in the United States in 2015; and
 
12    WHEREAS, It is estimated that more than 100,000 cases of
13abuse go unreported each year; the impact of abuse on children
14manifests itself in many ways; the affected children may
15experience a range of emotional, psychological, and physical
16problems and trauma as a result of being abused or neglected;
17and
 
18    WHEREAS, There are various organizations and agencies that
19devote their full-hearted efforts to combating this vicious
20problem and seek to provide these at-risk children with options
21that help prevent and relieve afflicted children from the
22hardship that is child neglect and abuse; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Organizations like the Children's Advocacy
2Centers of Illinois, Children's Home + Aid, and Prevent Child
3Abuse America have provided children and families the
4opportunity of healing the wounds left from the harmful results
5of child neglect and abuse; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Established in 1995, the Children's Advocacy
7Centers of Illinois is a network that coordinates and provides
8a comprehensive response to child abuse in Illinois through 37
9locations in the State, working closely with the Department of
10Children and Family Services and the Illinois Attorney
11General's Office; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Children's Home + Aid has regional offices in
13Bloomington, Rockford, Chicago, and Granite City; the
14organization is a leading child and family service agency in
15Illinois; each year, it protects, educates, and counsels more
16than 40,000 children in over 60 counties, youth, and families
17to overcome the overwhelming obstacles of poverty, abuse, and
18neglect; 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 ONE
20HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
21designate the month of April in 2017 and 2018 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.