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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 313 601 CG 022 119 TITLE President's Child Safety Partnership. Final Report. INSTITUTION President's Commission on Child Safety Partnership, Washington, DC. PUP DATE 87 NOTE 188p. PUB TYPE Reports General (140) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC08 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Alcohol Abuse; *Child Abuse; *Child Welfare; Drug Abuse; Runaways; *Safety; *Sexual Abuse; *Victims of Crime; Violence ABSTRACT This report presents the findings and recommendations from the President's Child Safety Partnership, a group of citizens representing business, private nonprofit groups, the government, and private individuals appointed by President Reagan to gathcr accurate information about the nature and extent of violence against children and to identify outstanding private sector initiatives and public/private partnerships in the area of child safety. Itbegins with a Stat. ! . of Child Victimization in America which explains that the parAership held public hearings in seven citiesacross the country and heard testimony from :150 witnesses. Nine areas of interest to the investigation are identified:(1) sexual abuse children in the home or family;(2) sexual exploitation of children; (3) sexual molestation of children outside the home;(4) physical abuse of children in the home or family; ( ) abduction of children by noncustodial parents or strangers;(6) violence against children outside tho home;(7) parental neglect of children; (8) abuse of alcohol am other drugs by children; and (9) runaway children. Subs-Kluent sections contain recommendations for change from the private sector, the child-serving community, parents and concerned citizens, and the government (federal, state, and local). Relevant materials including bibliographies and lists of organizations providing support to children am 'amilies are appended. (NB) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS ,re the best that can be made * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** A Report to the President ,.. \ t - , %%"'' ''';,, ,,e):,, irY' ** V-111 ;"'g.1"': . 4' 4 ) 24110 \?k,A,744:s1"// President's Child Safety Partnership Partnership Members William W. McConnell, William R Bricker, Chairman Vice Chairman H. Brewster Atwater Tom Lewis William J. Bennett Mario J. Machado Judy A. Black Mary Ellen McCaffree Otis R. Bowen Mitch McConnell Joanne M. Collins Edwin Meese 111 Arthur C. "Cappy" Eads Donna Owens Kenneth 0. Eikenberry Frederick J. Ryan, Jr Paula Hawkins Lory Arana Stevenson Lois Haight Herrington Joseph Vittoria Carole Hillard Robert G. Weeks Eva Irizarry-Guardarramas Maly P. Whyte Robert P. Keim Jeri Winger Final Report 1987 President's Child Safety Partnership The Honorable Ronald Reagan President of the United States Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: On behalf of the members of the President's Child Safety Partner hip, it is our pleasure to present you with our findings and recommendations. You formed the President's Child Safety Partnership 2 years ago because of your commitment to and concern for the well-being of our Nation's children, especially those children who were unfortunate enough to become victims of purposeful and oftentimes vengeful acts, such as abuse, molesta- tion, sexual exploitation, and stranger abduction, as well as Close children who run away from home, and those who fall victim to drugs and alcohol Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the child's victimization, the result is the same; children and their families suffer, and their communities suffer from a lowered quality of life Many children as well as their families experience physical and psychological harm from which they never recover You appointed a group of citizens representing the business community, the private nonprofit community, the government sector, and private individuals to find answers and solutions to the problems of child victimization. We had a common commitment to helping children and youth You asked for our ideas on how this epidemic of victimization could be stopped You challenged us to discover ways to ensure that our children could lead lives free from the threat of victimization. The Partnership accepted that challenge and moved out across the country to learn more about the problem and what was being done to combat it. While the extensive life experiences of each Partnership member may have prepared us for what we enc;),:ntcr in business or government, they did little to prepare us for what we saw and heard from the parents, children, child advocates, and business people who testified before us What we heard shocked and disturbed all of us. That each year close to three-quarters of a million cases of child physical abuse and neglect are documentedmore than 2,000 a day These documented cases represent only a fraction of the number of actual incidents. The abuse is not restricted to minor injuriesa growing number of the cases involve very _erious injury and even death. That each year more and more children, some as young as 2 to 3 years old, are being sexually assaulted A majority of these children are being assaulted, not by strangers, but by people they know and trust most often a relative. That each year a number of children are abducted by strangers, some never to be found. 4 iii That in locations throughout the country young children are collectively arid ritualistically abused That each year thousands of children are abducted by noncustodial parents. Many of these children are kept away from the custodial parents for years, some even decades. That alcohol and drugs are tAng a more deadly toll and are luring an even younger generation of children That each year approximately 1.7 million teenagers are the victims of violent crimes such as rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, and more than 3.6 million are victims of theft. More than 1,000 teens are murdered each year. In some cities children shoot each other over card games, bicycles, clothing, or misinterpreted facial expressions That every day children, some as young as 10 and 11 years old, can be found living unsupervised in the streets of every major city in the country Many of these children are exploited and forced to engage in prostitution and other crimes to survive. It was inconceivable to many of us, as we believe it is to most Americans, that these events were not isolated, not restricted to one segment of the country, but happen every day in every part of the country to boys and girls from every socioeconomic class, every race and creed Victimization knows no boundaries. It could strike anyone, anywhere, anytime, and anyplace No one is safe from its ravages. Fortunately, we found that where there is despair there is also hope. America was built with the spirit, entrepreneurial know-how, determination, and resources not of one person, or one distinct segment of society, but of a host of different groups, with different backgrounds, and different interests striving to achieve the same goals improving our country and ourselves, and pioviding a better life foi our children. It is this same spirit, hard work, entrepreneurial know-how, and determina- tion that was displayed around the country by concerned individuals, agencies, and corporation' that gives us hope for our children's future. We found countless examples of individuals and organizations that personify the theme of the Partnership and the spirit of the country. All of us working together can end the victimization of children. As you pointed out, Mr. President, there is a role in this for everyonegovernment, business, and the individual citizen. The report we present is an optimistic one, one that re,..ognizes that while there are innumerable problems to be faced, there are countless untapped resources to address them. In many cases our only limitations are the ones we place on odrselves, artificial limitations that can with perspective and ingenuity be overcome. We end this Partnership with a renewed interest in the well-being of children, with a firm dedication to do more, and with the hope that others will also 0t-- iv involve themselves in the battle for our children The battle has to be fought on many fronts and with many allies. The enemy has proven to be a tenacious onegiving little but taking much We cannot afford ro lose this battleas children are more than our presentthey are our future What better future can we offer our children than the freedom to grow and thrive without the threat of being victimized While there are many Important issues this country must address,we feel that ensuring the safety and well-being of our future generations is of utmost importance. We all offer our support in assisting you in this endeavor. Toensure that this report is acted upon, we will be convening an implementationgroup. This group will be composed of members of the Partnership who, at their own expense, will carry the message cf this report to the public for the next 2 years, using both their personal and professional energies. We feel that with implementation of these recommendations we v ill have takena grand step toward ensuring that America is safe for children Sincerely yours. William W McConnell William R. Bricker Chairman Vice Chairman C v Contents Statement of Chid Victimization in America 1 Recommendations for Change: The Private Sector 13 Business 16 Private Nonprofit 33 Media 49 The Child-Serving Community 55 Prevention and Awareness 58 Intervention 80 Parents and Concerned Citizens 97 Federal, State, and Local

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