HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	56
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII		S.D. 1

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ESTABLISH TRAINING PROGRAMS TO EMPOWER PARENTS, TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND ADMINISTRATORS ON HOW TO PREVENT, IDENTIFY, REPORT, AND MITIGATE ALL FORMS OF CHILD ABUSE THAT MAY TAKE PLACE.

WHEREAS, this year marks the ninety-fifth anniversary of the League of Nations' adoption of the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child, a paramount Declaration that advocates for the well-being and care of children, including their protection against exploitation; and

WHEREAS, this year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child, a critically integral human rights treaty that sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health, and cultural rights of children, currently with one hundred ninety-six nation-states signing, adopting, and ratifying this highly important treaty; and

WHEREAS, this year marks the forty-fifth anniversary of the United States' adoption of the Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, which provides federal funding and guidance to states in support of prevention, assessment, treatment, and prosecution of child abuse and neglect; and

WHEREAS, children are our most precious asset, but some cannot adequately defend themselves against the harmful actions of adults; and

WHEREAS, each year, nearly eight million children in the United States are maltreated by their parents or other adults, and every day approximately five children die in the United States due to circumstances attributed to child abuse or mistreatment; and

WHEREAS, in Hawaii, nearly four thousand cases of child abuse are reported each year with more than one thousand unique cases of child abuse confirmed by the Department of Human Services; and

WHEREAS, in 2005, a five-year-old girl named Talia Williams died after months of abuse at the hands of her father and step-mother at Wheeler Army Airfield housing on Oahu; and

WHEREAS, in honor of Talia Williams, President Barack Obama signed "Talia's Law" in 2016, which now requires any abuse taking place on a military base to be reported to civilian authorities; and

WHEREAS, the tragic death of young Talia Williams, in fact, served to propel a momentous shift in the State's awareness to the many types of child abuse and neglect; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Education is requested to establish training programs to empower parents, teachers, students, and administrators on how to prevent, identify, report, and mitigate all forms of child abuse that may take place; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Chairperson of the Board of Education, and Superintendent of Education.

Report Title:

Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Programs