00                   HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 15                                                                   
01 Proclaiming 2020 as the Year of the Child; proclaiming April 2020 as Child Abuse                                        
02 Prevention Month; and proclaiming April 3, 2020, as Go Blue Friday.                                                     
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04       WHEREAS the state currently has one of the highest rates of child abuse in the                                  
05 United States; and                                                                                                      
06       WHEREAS, in 2019, the Department of Health and Social Services, Office of                                       
07 Children's Services, received more than 23,000 allegations of harm involving tens of                                    
08 thousands of children; and                                                                                              
09       WHEREAS, in 2019, more than 3,000 children in the state were removed from unsafe                                
10 homes and placed in foster care; and                                                                                    
11       WHEREAS child abuse and neglect leave cross-generational damage; and                                            
12       WHEREAS, according to a 1999 report published by the United States Department of                                
13 Justice, 36 percent of all women in prison and 14 percent of all men in prison were abused as                           
14 children; and                                                                                                           
15       WHEREAS children who experience child abuse or neglect are about nine times                                     
16 more likely to become involved in criminal activity than children who do not experience child                           

01 abuse or neglect; and                                                                                                   
02       WHEREAS the long-term effects of child abuse include improper brain formation, an                               
03 inability to trust, low self-esteem, and an increased vulnerability to post-traumatic stress                            
04 disorder, sexually transmitted diseases, heart disease, cancer, and depression; and                                     
05       WHEREAS every child deserves a loving family, a safe home, and the opportunity to                               
06 grow into an upstanding and responsible member of society; and                                                          
07       WHEREAS we must work together to support the efforts of all those who take                                      
08 children into their homes and hearts because the community as a whole suffers in every case                             
09 of child abuse and neglect;                                                                                             
10 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature proclaims 2020 to be the Year                                        
11 of the Child; and be it                                                                                                 
12 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature proclaims April 2020 to                                            
13 be Child Abuse Prevention Month; and be it                                                                              
14 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature proclaims April 3, 2020,                                           
15 to be Go Blue Friday, a day to wear blue, the official color of prevention, and to work to keep                         
16 the state's children safe and encourages all state employees and other residents of the state to                        
17 participate; and be it                                                                                                  
18 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports and encourages                                            
19 all state employees and other residents of the state to support child abuse prevention and                              
20 education efforts.