[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 119 (Wednesday, June 20, 2012)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 36901-36902]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-15170]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 119 / Wednesday, June 20, 2012 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 36901]]

                Proclamation 8838 of June 14, 2012

                
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, 2012

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Every American deserves the chance to live out the full 
                measure of their days in health and security. Yet, 
                every year, millions of older Americans are denied that 
                most basic opportunity due to abuse, neglect, or 
                exploitation. On World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, we 
                call attention to this global public health issue, and 
                we rededicate ourselves to providing our elders the 
                care and protection they deserve.

                Victims of elder abuse are parents and grandparents, 
                neighbors and friends. Elder abuse cuts across race, 
                gender, culture, and circumstance, and whether 
                physical, emotional, or financial, it takes an 
                unacceptable toll on individuals and families across 
                our Nation. Seniors who experience abuse or neglect 
                face a heightened risk of health complications and 
                premature death, while financial exploitation can rob 
                men and women of the security they have built over a 
                lifetime. Tragically, many older Americans suffer in 
                silence, burdened by fear, shame, or impairments that 
                prevent them from speaking out about abuse.

                We owe it to our seniors to expose elder abuse wherever 
                we find it and take action to bring it to an end. Two 
                years ago, I was proud to sign the Elder Justice Act, 
                which was included in the Affordable Care Act, and 
                marked a major step forward in the fight against elder 
                abuse, neglect, and exploitation. With the Department 
                of Health and Human Services, we are partnering with 
                State and local authorities to ensure seniors can live 
                their lives with dignity and independence. With the 
                Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, we are working to 
                empower older Americans with tools and information to 
                navigate safely through financial challenges. And with 
                the Department of Justice, we are protecting older 
                Americans by prosecuting those who would target and 
                exploit them.

                Every day, State and local agencies, protective 
                services professionals, law enforcement officers, 
                private and non-profit organizations, and leaders 
                throughout our communities help protect older Americans 
                from abuse and provide care to those who have already 
                been affected. Together, all of us can play a role in 
                addressing this public health crisis that puts millions 
                at risk. Today, let us keep faith with a generation of 
                Americans by speaking out against elder abuse, 
                advancing justice for victims, and building a Nation 
                that preserves and protects the well-being of all who 
                call it home.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim June 15, 2012, as 
                World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. I call upon all 
                Americans to observe this day by learning the signs of 
                elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and by raising 
                awareness about this public health issue.

[[Page 36902]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fourteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2012-15170
Filed 6-19-12; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F2-P