Please join The Children's Advocacy Institute and First Star for a Congressional Briefing and Press Conference commemorating the national release of our report:

State Secrecy and Child Deaths in the U.S. - 2nd Edition

An Evaluation of Public Disclosure Practices about Child Abuse or Neglect Fatalities and Near Fatalities, with State Rankings

Hosted by Senator John Kerry, sponsor of the "Protect our Kids Act"

Child abuse and neglect lead to the deaths of an estimated 1,770 children every year in the United States. Countless more children suffer serious, near-death injuries from maltreatment. Through the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), the federal government has acknowledged the importance played by the public disclosure of these cases in alleviating systemic problems that may unnecessarily lead to these deaths. Regrettably, many states fail to adequately shine the CAPTA-mandated light on these gravest of cases. This second edition of our acclaimed national survey evaluates each state's performance regarding their level of transparency with respect to the information released to the public following child abuse fatalities and near-fatalities. The report aims to promote public awareness regarding this issue and to catalyze state-wide and national legislative reform in order to better protect maltreated children and save their lives. We will also be highlighting important federal legislation, the Protect Our Kids Act, which has been introduced in both the House and the Senate that will work towards improving data collection and reporting and ultimately lowering rates of child abuse fatalities.

April 17, 2012

2:00-3:30

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing Room

Senate Dirksen 419

refreshments to be served

Please RSVP to Amy Harfeld at

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or (917) 371-5191