[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 40 (Monday, October 9, 1995)]
[Pages 1753-1754]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6828--Child Health Day, 1995

October 2, 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

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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.
    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.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 2:58 p.m., October 2, 
1995]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on October 
4.