119-hres284

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 284 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
H. RES. 284

 Expressing support for the goals and ideals of National Child Abuse 
 Prevention Month.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 April 1, 2025

 Mr. Barr (for himself, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, and Mr. Mrvan) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
 on Education and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

 Expressing support for the goals and ideals of National Child Abuse 
 Prevention Month.

Whereas children are fundamental to the success of our Nation and will shape the 
 future of the United States;
Whereas elected representatives and leaders in our communities must be ever 
 vigilant and proactive in support of evidence-based means to prevent 
 child abuse and support families;
Whereas adverse childhood experiences

    (ACEs) are traumatic experiences that 
 occur during childhood with lasting long-term effects and include 
 experiences such as child abuse and neglect, witnessing violence, or 
 growing up in a household with a family member with a substance use 
 disorder;
Whereas at least 5 of the top 10 leading causes of death are associated with 
 ACEs;
Whereas preventing ACEs could reduce many health conditions, including up to 
 21,000,000 cases of depression, 1,900,000 cases of heart disease, and 
 2,500,000 cases of overweight and obesity;
Whereas every child is filled with tremendous promise, and we all have a 
 collective responsibility to prevent ACEs, foster the potential of every 
 child, and promote positive childhood experience;
Whereas preventing child abuse and neglect before they happen can reduce the 
 costly lifetime economic burden associated with child maltreatment;
Whereas investments in primary prevention pay off as studies show that the total 
 lifetime economic burden associated with treating the consequences of 
 child maltreatment is approximately $2,000,000,000,000;
Whereas economic adversity has been observed as an increased risk for potential 
 abuse of children;
Whereas, in 2023, an estimated 7,782,600 children were referred to child 
 protective services agencies, alleging maltreatment;
Whereas, approximately 1 in 7 children in the United States has experienced 
 child abuse or neglect annually;
Whereas, in 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's 
 CyberTipline received 36,210,368 reports of suspected online child 
 sexual abuse exploitation, a 12-percent increase from 2022;
Whereas reports indicate that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys experience sexual 
 abuse before their 18th birthday;
Whereas 93 percent of child sexual abuse victims are abused by a person they 
 know and trust;
Whereas children who are sexually abused, when not provided appropriate 
 treatment, often suffer from lifelong problems, such as physical and 
 mental health challenges, and higher risk of drug and alcohol misuse, 
 and suicide;
Whereas education and awareness of possible signs of child abuse should be 
 prioritized for purposes of prevention;
Whereas Prevent Child Abuse America has a national network of Chapters and 
 Healthy Families America sites providing prevention services and family 
 support in our local districts;
Whereas by intervening to prevent adversity and build resilience during a 
 child's most critical years of development, voluntary, evidence-based, 
 home-visiting programs like Healthy Families America, the signature 
 home-visiting program of Prevent Child Abuse America, have shown 
 positive impact on reducing the recurrence of child abuse and neglect, 
 decreased low-birthweight babies, improved school readiness for 
 children, and increased high school graduation rates for parents; and
Whereas Prevent Child Abuse America has a national network of Chapters and 
 Healthy Families America sites providing prevention services and family 
 support in our local districts: Now, therefore, be it
 Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

    (1) expresses support for the goals and ideals of National 
 Child Abuse Prevention Month;

    (2) recognizes child abuse and child sexual abuse is 
 preventable and that a healthy and prosperous society depends 
 on strong families and communities;

    (3) supports efforts to increase the awareness of, and 
 provide education for, the general public of the United States, 
 related to the prevention of child abuse and protective factors 
 for families;

    (4) supports the efforts to help survivors of childhood 
 sexual abuse heal;

    (5) supports justice for victims of childhood sexual abuse; 
 and

    (6) recognizes the need for additional investments and 
 Federal legislation for prevention, healing, and justice 
 efforts related to childhood abuse and sexual abuse.
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