WHEREAS, Parental Alienation is described as behavior by a parent, or an adult a child trusts, whether conscious or unconscious, that could create alienation in the relationship between a child and a parent; and

WHEREAS, This negative behavior involves the manipulation of a child through a set of behaviors that can result in destroying the loving and warm relationship the child shares with a parent; and

WHEREAS, The alienating behavior often involves one caregiver attempting to turn a child against another caregiver with a desired outcome of persuading the child that they should exclude the other caregiver or parent from their life permanently; and

WHEREAS, Methods of behavior typically include constant badmouthing and/or belittling of the other parent, and limiting a parent's contact with the child; and

WHEREAS, The manipulation can be mild and temporary but can also be extreme and ongoing, damaging a child and potentially leading to life-long consequences; and

WHEREAS, Children who are alienated from one parent may experience increased anger, have heightened feelings of neglect, or learn a destructive pattern that they pass on to others; and

WHEREAS, Parental Alienation deprives children of their right to be loved by and showing love for both of their parents and is seen mostly in cases of divorce or separation; and

WHEREAS, Research has estimated that twenty-two million adults in the United States and almost four million children have been victimized by Parental Alienation; and

WHEREAS, Parental Alienation Awareness Day was created to help raise awareness about this growing problem of mental and emotional child abuse; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Commonwealth of Massachusetts hereby proclaims April 25th of each year to be "Parental Alienation Awareness Day" and urges all residents of Massachusetts to help stop the abuse of innocent children caught in the crossfire of this destructive behavior from the people they love.