[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 192 (Wednesday, October 4, 1995)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 51877-51878]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-24828]



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  Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 192 / Wednesday, October 4, 1995 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President
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[[Page 51877]]

                Proclamation 6828 of October 2, 1995

                
Child Health Day, 1995

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                In hospitals and homes across the country, children 
                begin life free from the burdens of the world. With 
                their eyes and minds open to every influence, they 
                depend on their caregivers to help them take the first, 
                tentative steps toward adulthood. Parents and other 
                family members, communities and churches, educators and 
                the media--all play a role in these crucial early 
                years, providing young people with the direction they 
                need to become happy, productive citizens.

                Tragically, far too many children go without this 
                essential love and guidance, living in homes, 
                neighborhoods, and schools where they see and endure 
                violence. One in five pregnant women is abused by her 
                partner; millions of children each year are reported to 
                public social service agencies as being neglected or 
                abused; and in the decade between 1982 and 1992, the 
                number of these reports increased 132 percent. We know 
                that young men and women suffer lasting effects from 
                such experiences--teen suicides have tripled in the 
                last 35 years, and countless youth have grown up to 
                continue the cycle of destructive behavior in their own 
                relationships and families.

                In recognition of these heartbreaking realities, the 
                theme of Child Health Day, 1995, is the elimination of 
                violence. As our Nation observes this special day, let 
                us renew our commitment to America's children and 
                rededicate ourselves to ending the physical and 
                emotional mistreatment that damage self-esteem and 
                well-being. Solutions to the plague of violence lie 
                within our own society, and we can find hope in the 
                partnerships forming among public health and mental 
                health professionals, schools, law enforcement 
                officers, religious groups, child care experts, and 
                community leaders. Their efforts, aided by the 
                extensive Federal network already in place, will help 
                to strengthen families and instill in our young people 
                the ambition and spirit that has always driven America 
                forward.

                To emphasize the importance of nurturing children's 
                growth and development from birth to maturity, the 
                Congress, by joint resolution approved May 18, 1928, as 
                amended (36 U.S.C. 143), has called for the designation 
                of the first Monday in October as ``Child Health Day'' 
                and has requested the President to issue a proclamation 
                in observance of this day.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby proclaim Monday, 
                October 2, 1995, as Child Health Day. On this day, and 
                on every day throughout the year, I call upon my fellow 
                Americans to deepen their commitment to protecting 
                children, taking the necessary steps to meet our 
                obligations to them and to our Nation's future. 

[[Page 51878]]


                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                second day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen 
                hundred and ninety-five, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and twentieth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 95-24828
Filed 10-2-95; 2:58 pm]
Billing code 3195-01-P