,,iii  #aaith ,,congress  #b;d ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #gjf  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,april    
#bi1 #bjbf,mr4 ,cornyn 7for himself1    
,ms4 ,blunt ,rochester1 ,mrs4           
,blackburn1 ,mr4 ,hickenlooper1 ,mrs4   
,capito1 ,mr4 ,lujn1 and ,ms4 ,hassan7  
submitted the following resolution2     
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and        
,pensions  ,,resolution  ,expressing    
support for the designation of ,april   
#bjbf as ,national ,child ,abuse        
,prevention ,month1 and the goals and   
ideals of ,national ,child ,abuse       
,prevention ,month4  ,whereas children  
are fundamental to the success of the   
,united ,states and will shape the      
future of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas 
elected representatives and leaders in  
the communities of the ,united ,states  
must be ever vigilant and proactive in  
support of evidence-based means to      
prevent child abuse and neglect and to  
support families2 ,whereas adverse      

childhood experiences 7referred to in   
this preamble as ,a,c,es7 are traumatic 
experiences that occur during childhood 
with lasting effects and include        
experiences of violence1 abuse1 or      
neglect2 ,whereas at least #e of the top
 #aj leading causes of death are        
associated with ,a,c,es2 ,whereas       
preventing ,a,c,es could reduce many    
health conditions and long-term negative
 effects on life1 opportunity1 and      
well-being1 including-- 7#a7 up to      
#ba1jjj1jjj cases of depression2  7#b7  
up to #a1ijj1jjj cases of heart disease2
 and  7#c7 up to #b1ejj1jjj cases of    
overweight or obesity2 ,whereas every   
child is filled with tremendous promise1
 and we all have a collective           
responsibility to prevent ,a,c,es1      
foster the potential of every child1 and
 promote positive childhood experiences2
 ,whereas preventing child abuse and    
neglect can reduce the costly lifetime  
economic burden associated with child   
maltreatment2 ,whereas1 in #bjbd1 an    

estimated #g1fic1jjj children were      
referred to child protective services   
agencies1 alleging maltreatment2        
,whereas1 each year1 approximately #a in
 #g children in the ,united ,states     
experiences child abuse1 neglect1 or    
both2 ,whereas reports indicate that #a 
in #d girls and #a in #ac boys will     
become victims of child sexual abuse    
before their #ahth birthday2 ,whereas   
#ic percent of child sexual abuse       
victims are abused by a person they know
 and trust2 ,whereas children who are   
sexually abused1 especially when not    
provided appropriate treatment and      
support1 often suffer lifelong          
consequences1 such as physical and      
mental health challenges and higher risk
 of drug and alcohol misuse and suicide2
 ,whereas1 in #bjbd1 the ,national      
,center for ,missing and ,exploited     
,children's ,cyber,tipline received     
nearly #bj1ejj1jjj reports of suspected 
online child sexual exploitation2       
,whereas education and awareness of     

possible signs of child abuse and       
neglect should be prioritized for       
purposes of prevention2 and ,whereas1 by
 intervening to prevent adversity and   
build resilience during the most        
critical years of development of a      
child1 voluntary1 evidence-based1       
home-visiting programs have shown       
positive impact on-- 7#a7 reducing the  
recurrence of child abuse and neglect2  
7#b7 decreasing the incidence of        
low-birthweight babies2  7#c7 improved  
school readiness for children2 and  7#d7
 increased high school graduation rates3
 ,now1 therefore1 be it  ,that the      
,senate-- 7#a7 supports the designation 
of ,april #bjbf as ,national ,child     
,abuse ,prevention ,month2  7#b7        
expresses support for the goals and     
ideals of ,national ,child ,abuse       
,prevention ,month2  7#c7 recognizes    
that child abuse and neglect and child  
sexual abuse are preventable and that a 
healthy and prosperous society depends  
on strong families and communities2     

7#d7 supports efforts to increase the   
awareness of1 and provide education for1
 the general public of the ,united      
,states1 with respect to preventing     
child abuse and neglect and building    
protective factors for families2  7#e7  
supports the efforts to help survivors  
of childhood sexual abuse heal2  7#f7   
supports justice for victims of         
childhood sexual abuse2 and  7#g7       
recognizes the need for prevention1     
healing1 and justice efforts related to 
childhood abuse1 neglect1 and sexual    
abuse4