DEDICATION OF APRIL AS CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH
WHEREAS, when communities come together to support children and families, we all benefit: our fellow citizens are better educated, employees are more effective and miss less work, and we'll see a profound impact on the quality of life in the communities in which families live; and,
WHEREAS, the first step is understanding the importance of early childhood development and investing in efficacious and evidence-based services such as home visiting and the prevention of bullying, child sexual abuse, neglect and abusive head trauma; and,
WHEREAS, one in five children in Illinois is a victim of abuse or neglect before the age of eighteen; and,
WHEREAS, according to statistics from UNICEF, the U.S. ranks poorly in children's issues, including 32nd out of 34 industrialized nations in terms of child poverty and 26th out of 29 in terms of overall well-being; and research indicates child abuse costs the U.S. upward of $80 billion annually; and,
WHEREAS, more than one million Rlinoisans volunteer their time every year to support our youth, lending support to families to raise their children in nurturing, loving environments; and,
WHEREAS, research indicates ninety percent of the population deems child abuse to be a serious issue, it is now our shared responsibility to motivate people to take action in support of healthy child development; and,
WHEREAS, Prevent Child Abuse America, which calls Chicago home, has dedicated forty two years to preventing the abuse and neglect of our nation's children; and,
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of the Big Pinwheel Garden event, to further introduce the pinwheel as the national child abuse prevention symbol, to be held Wednesday, the sixteenth of April, 2014, in Gateway Park at Navy Pier;
BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Mayor and members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled here this fifth day of March, 2014, do hereby voice our wholehearted suppo...
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