[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5301-5302]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr President, as we welcome the blooms of spring this 
April, we should also take a moment to focus on the well-being of our 
most precious resource, our children. Since 1983, April has been 
nationally recognized as Child Abuse Prevention Month. Since then, 
organizations like Prevent Child Abuse America have been passionate 
advocates for our children and have raised awareness of this egregious 
problem. In my own state of Wisconsin, the local chapter of Prevent 
Child Abuse America in Madison has been an effective leader in the 
fight against child abuse.
  Child abuse is an urgent national problem. According to Prevent Child 
Abuse America, more than three million children were reported to child 
protective service agencies as alleged victims of child abuse or 
neglect in 1998, and about one million of these reports were confirmed. 
And these numbers just reflect those cases that were reported. 
Undoubtedly, many more cases go unreported.
  Child abuse is not only physical harm, but it can also include 
emotional abuse and mental damage resulting from physical abuse. The 
documented physical and emotional harm to children includes chronic 
health problems, low self-esteem, physical disabilities, and the 
inability to form healthy relationships with others.

[[Page 5302]]

  Protecting our children should be a national priority. I urge my 
colleagues and others to support child abuse prevention efforts to 
protect our nation's greatest resource, our children. Working together, 
we can help end child abuse.

                          ____________________