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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
 

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Tell Congress why you want programs to prevent child abuse.
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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.

We signed the “Ensure Children Have Safe and Healthy Homes” petition!
# 150:
11:34 am PDT, Mar 26, Kathy Phillips, Oregon
# 149:
11:31 am PDT, Mar 26, Judyta Dymkowska, Poland
# 148:
11:29 am PDT, Mar 26, Samantha Edwards, Texas
# 147:
10:59 am PDT, Mar 26, Name not displayed, Illinois
# 146:
10:56 am PDT, Mar 26, Kelly Phinney, Colorado
# 145:
10:44 am PDT, Mar 26, Carrie Stephens, Kentucky
# 144:
10:38 am PDT, Mar 26, Lynne Nichols, Texas
# 143:
10:32 am PDT, Mar 26, Imogen Richmond, United Kingdom
# 141:
9:06 am PDT, Mar 26, Emma Mckerry, United Kingdom
tis service is a must and deserves as much money as it can get after all these chidren are our future
# 140:
8:52 am PDT, Mar 26, Tania Naim, Lebanon
# 139:
8:02 am PDT, Mar 26, Chad Halsey, Indiana
# 138:
7:55 am PDT, Mar 26, Name not displayed, Delaware
# 137:
7:17 am PDT, Mar 26, Mary Rodriguez, Texas
# 136:
7:17 am PDT, Mar 26, Catherine Smalley, United Kingdom
# 135:
7:14 am PDT, Mar 26, Lunette Murrill, Missouri
# 134:
6:50 am PDT, Mar 26, Jaime Cammarata, RD, Pennsylvania
# 133:
6:47 am PDT, Mar 26, Ginger Geronimo, Alabama
# 132:
6:32 am PDT, Mar 26, Doc Angel, South Carolina
# 131:
2:36 am PDT, Mar 26, William Harper, Georgia
# 130:
2:10 am PDT, Mar 26, Name not displayed, Ohio
# 129:
1:37 am PDT, Mar 26, Kim Schneider, Hawaii
# 128:
1:04 am PDT, Mar 26, Severine Stockling,, France
# 127:
12:43 am PDT, Mar 26, Fiza Younis, Pakistan
# 126:
12:00 am PDT, Mar 26, Emily Barre, Arkansas
# 125:
9:49 pm PDT, Mar 25, Monica Mitchell, Tennessee
# 124:
9:41 pm PDT, Mar 25, Name not displayed, Florida
# 123:
9:16 pm PDT, Mar 25, Mary Detrick, Florida
# 122:
9:04 pm PDT, Mar 25, Shelby Carter, Maryland
# 121:
8:47 pm PDT, Mar 25, Natalie Santiago, Puerto Rico
# 120:
8:01 pm PDT, Mar 25, Marcia Warth, Ohio
# 119:
7:34 pm PDT, Mar 25, Diana Martz - Animalspirit, Indiana
# 118:
6:49 pm PDT, Mar 25, Silky Wyld, Wisconsin
# 117:
6:47 pm PDT, Mar 25, Steven Meyers, Oregon
# 116:
6:36 pm PDT, Mar 25, Chris Carlson, North Dakota
# 115:
6:11 pm PDT, Mar 25, Geraldine Collins, Indiana
# 114:
4:49 pm PDT, Mar 25, Steve Dale, Australia
# 113:
4:45 pm PDT, Mar 25, Lu Pensinger, Pennsylvania
# 112:
3:22 pm PDT, Mar 25, Tena Hoevenaar, Michigan
# 111:
2:32 pm PDT, Mar 25, Name not displayed, California
# 110:
2:06 pm PDT, Mar 25, Farhat Niazi, Pakistan
# 109:
1:54 pm PDT, Mar 25, Zad El Bacha, Italy
What would it feel like if it happened to you? Children have the right to be safe, at least in their own homes!
# 108:
1:46 pm PDT, Mar 25, Walter Fales, Michigan
# 107:
1:06 pm PDT, Mar 25, Kim Matherly, Illinois
Our laws to prevent child abuse are far too lenient. This country's children should have the right to a safe and nuturing home.
# 106:
1:03 pm PDT, Mar 25, Terry Lee, Michigan
# 105:
12:56 pm PDT, Mar 25, Corinne Vanderstreet, New Jersey
# 104:
12:45 pm PDT, Mar 25, Martha Rickman, California
# 103:
12:42 pm PDT, Mar 25, Chris Murison, Nevada
# 102:
12:34 pm PDT, Mar 25, Isha Mayim, California
# 101:
12:17 pm PDT, Mar 25, Alex P Bostwick, Kentucky