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Ensure Children Have Safe and Healthy Homes

Target: U.S. Congress
Sponsored by: American Humane Association

The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) was passed in 1974 because of increasing public awareness of the need to ensure the safety and welfare of children. CAPTA provides federal money to state and local communities like yours for programs and services to prevent abuse, protect children and strengthen families.

Each year, almost 1 million American children experience abuse and neglect. Of these children, 60 percent suffer neglect, 19 percent physical abuse, 10 percent sexual abuse, and 7 percent emotional maltreatment. All of these forms of abuse can have a lifelong psychological and physical impact on a child. And shockingly, approximately 1400 children are killed each year from abuse, most of whom are under the age of one.

Every five years, CAPTA gets reauthorized. This year it is up for review again. President Bush has already cut many important human service programs in this year's budget (including domestic violence and juvenile justice funds). We need your help to ensure these cuts do not affect the safety of children.

Please ask Congress to not only maintain current funding levels, but to increase funding to keep up with today's economy, so that all children can live in safe and healthy homes.

deadline: Ongoing...
goal: 30,000

21,078
signatures!

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Dear [member of Congress],

I am writing to you today to ask for your support for increasing the budget for state grants, community-based prevention grants, and research grants supported by the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). Our nation's child welfare system is stretched beyond capacity to handle the full scope of the problem. Appropriate services for families and children who have been victimized by abuse or neglect are lacking, and insufficient funding has been allocated for the prevention of child maltreatment.

And now, I fear that this situation may only get worse. President Bush has already cut many important human service programs in this year's budget (including domestic violence and juvenile justice funds), and I strongly oppose cutting into budgets for child abuse services.

Our child protection system demands adequate investment. Continuing to do otherwise is far too costly. A 2003 study calculated the total costs of child abuse to exceed $87 billion annually -- $258 million dollars a day -- a figure that includes the immediate direct costs (such as law enforcement, medical treatment, child welfare services and foster care) and long-term indirect costs (including juvenile delinquency and crime, special education, and lost productivity).

Yet, according to the Urban Institute, out of more than $20 billion spent each year on child welfare in federal, state and local funds, states typically spend just between 10 and 15 percent on prevention and the protection of children. We have a spending gap in this country in services to prevent child abuse and to intervene on behalf of children known to the child protection system.
It would be good business sense if we invested our resources in child protection and prevention services the way we should.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Dr. James J. Heckman has concluded in his research that "early childhood interventions of high quality have lasting effects on learning and motivation." An additional analysis conducted by Federal Reserve Bank economists recognizes that "investment in early childhood development yields an extraordinary return, far exceeding the return on most investments, private or public ... that are currently funded as economic development." And at a recent Senate hearing, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke noted "a significant return towards investing in young kids."

Preventing child abuse is cost effective. Putting dollars aside for prevention is sound investing, not luxury spending. We urge you to put together the resources to support preventive services and treatment services that can save us money in the long run.

It is crucial that Congress makes the protection of children a priority. Therefore I urge you to support increased funding for CAPTA.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

We signed the “Ensure Children Have Safe and Healthy Homes” petition!

# 100:

12:11 pm PDT, Mar 25, Amanda Wyrick, Florida

# 99:

11:54 am PDT, Mar 25, Kellie Noffsinger, California

# 98:

11:20 am PDT, Mar 25, Roman Soiko, New Jersey

# 97:

10:25 am PDT, Mar 25, Cara Gubrud, Minnesota

# 96:

10:11 am PDT, Mar 25, Kris Woods, Tennessee

# 95:

10:06 am PDT, Mar 25, Name not displayed, Texas

# 94:

9:41 am PDT, Mar 25, Zach Williams, California

# 93:

9:22 am PDT, Mar 25, Pierre Chretien, Canada

# 92:

9:05 am PDT, Mar 25, Betty Berger, Illinois
YES! All children are OUR future, and need to be protected and cherished. thank you.

# 91:

9:00 am PDT, Mar 25, Rodney Craps, South Carolina

# 90:

8:37 am PDT, Mar 25, Brian Carnes, Texas

# 89:

7:45 am PDT, Mar 25, Alicia Jowers, Florida

# 88:

7:22 am PDT, Mar 25, Name not displayed, Washington

# 87:

5:49 am PDT, Mar 25, Aamir Qureshi, Texas

# 86:

4:55 am PDT, Mar 25, John Geiser, Michigan

# 85:

3:54 am PDT, Mar 25, Dogan Ozkan, Turkey

# 84:

2:56 am PDT, Mar 25, Vivien De Boer-Harm, Belgium

# 83:

2:44 am PDT, Mar 25, ROBERT STREBECK, Texas

# 82:

2:40 am PDT, Mar 25, Bhuvanasi Satish, India

# 81:

2:37 am PDT, Mar 25, Rajshree B, Mauritius

# 80:

2:16 am PDT, Mar 25, Steve Klein, Canada

# 79:

12:58 am PDT, Mar 25, Mike Downs, Missouri

# 78:

12:54 am PDT, Mar 25, Franquelyne Low, New Mexico

# 77:

12:34 am PDT, Mar 25, Renee Hoster, Netherlands

# 76:

12:27 am PDT, Mar 25, Jason Bowman, California

# 75:

12:26 am PDT, Mar 25, Candy LeBlanc, California

# 74:

11:15 pm PDT, Mar 24, BiLL Fowlie, Maine

# 73:

10:08 pm PDT, Mar 24, Roxie Schliesmann, Wisconsin

# 72:

10:06 pm PDT, Mar 24, Jennifer Lachney, Louisiana

# 71:

10:03 pm PDT, Mar 24, Be'Suvwl Hall, California

# 70:

9:20 pm PDT, Mar 24, Name not displayed, California

# 69:

9:14 pm PDT, Mar 24, Chirag Bhakta, California

# 68:

8:59 pm PDT, Mar 24, Karen Sheaffer, Pennsylvania

# 67:

8:58 pm PDT, Mar 24, Maria Del Carme Bregante, Argentina

# 66:

8:58 pm PDT, Mar 24, Ooopa Doopa, California

# 65:

8:56 pm PDT, Mar 24, Kate Pea, Texas

# 64:

8:26 pm PDT, Mar 24, Name not displayed, New York

# 63:

8:10 pm PDT, Mar 24, Caroline Forbes, California

# 62:

8:03 pm PDT, Mar 24, Gerry Carter, Texas

# 61:

7:57 pm PDT, Mar 24, Lynn B Price, California

# 60:

7:54 pm PDT, Mar 24, Tayah Landmann, Australia

# 59:

7:42 pm PDT, Mar 24, Audrey Peters, Michigan
Don't short-change the children(again!). Our most vulnerable citizens need our care and protection.

# 58:

7:10 pm PDT, Mar 24, Kelli Stowe, California

# 57:

7:09 pm PDT, Mar 24, Jaron Montemayor, Missouri

# 56:

7:08 pm PDT, Mar 24, Stephanie Dial, Florida

# 55:

7:07 pm PDT, Mar 24, Andrea Brooks, Arizona

# 54:

7:02 pm PDT, Mar 24, Penny Fries, New York

# 53:

7:00 pm PDT, Mar 24, Don Peters, Wisconsin

# 52:

6:58 pm PDT, Mar 24, Jesse Spears, Texas

# 51:

6:52 pm PDT, Mar 24, Raven EveningStar, Massachusetts

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