For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 28, 2001
National Child Abuse Prevention Month, 2001
By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation
Every child deserves to live in a safe,
permanent, and caring family. Regrettably, abuse and neglect continue
to threaten the well-being of many young Americans. Each
year, more than 800,000 confirmed incidents of maltreatment of children
and more than 1,000 abuse-related child fatalities plague our
country. We can, and must, do more to fight these tragedies
and to protect our children from harm.
Prevention remains the best defense for our children. State
Community-Based Family Resource and Support programs sponsor activities
promoting public awareness about child abuse and information on how to
stop it. Additional initiatives offer education and training
to mothers, fathers, and other caretakers. Collaboration among schools,
government agencies, faith-based organizations, businesses, community
groups, and law enforcement play an important role in helping such
efforts to succeed.
During the month of
April, let our Nation and her people reaffirm the commitment to making
a positive difference in ending child abuse and
neglect. Each individual needs to help. Organize
or join a community group that offers information or assistance to
parents and families. Be vigilant for signs of abuse
exhibited by young people in your community. Encourage trust in and
support for law enforcement agencies. By speaking out
against child abuse and neglect and cultivating an environment that
nurtures and strengthens families, we can give boys and girls the safe,
stable, and loving homes they need. They will be able to
enter the classroom each day ready to learn, with improved self-esteem.
They will be encouraged to reach their full potential as individuals
and as members of our society.
NOW,
THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, 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 2001, as
National Child Abuse Prevention Month. I encourage all
Americans to join in the vital task of protecting young people from
harm, and I commend the many dedicated parents, educators, social
workers, and other concerned citizens who lead by example in doing
right by our children.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I
have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of March, in the year
of our Lord two thousand one, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.
GEORGE
W. BUSH
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