Connecticut Judicial Branch

Law Day 2013


Local Child Advocate, Christine Collins Receives Liberty Bell Award At Windham Judicial District Law Day Ceremony

DANIELSON—Around 75 people gathered at Danielson Superior Court Friday, May 3rd for the Windham Judicial District’s Annual Law Day Ceremony. The Windham County Bar Association co-hosted the event which emphasized this year’s theme, Realizing the Dream, Equality for All.

In his opening remarks, Windham Judicial District Administrative Judge Michael Riley offered homage to those individuals who “…fought to bring those ageless ideals of freedom and fairness into the rule of law.”

Noting that this is the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th anniversary of the courageous words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his I Have a Dream speech, Judge Riley added, “Even now that work is not yet finished, opportunity remains painfully unequal for too many among us; justice too often goes undone. Law Day is a chance to reaffirm the critical role that our courts have always played in addressing those wrongs and aligning our nation with its founding principles.”

The Windham County Bar Association presented its 2013 Liberty Bell Award to Christine Collins, a local child advocate who works closely with law enforcement at the local Child Advocacy Center. State’s Attorney Patricia Froehlich, who nominated Collins, said of her, “Christine has worked tirelessly to coordinate a multidisciplinary response to the investigation and prosecution of child abuse. She has worked to ensure that our Child Advocacy Center is not merely a child-friendly atmosphere, but also a culturally sensitive one in which children and families from all backgrounds can feel comfortable.”

In accepting the award, Collins said, “Equality for children is what this is all about. They are our future.”

She then noted that the Windham Judicial District has the greatest number of child sexual abuse cases per capita in the state. Consequently, she hopes the attention drawn by her receiving this award will help draw the focus to this abuse.

“We want people talking about it,” she said. “I want perpetrators to know we’re talking about this issue and we’re not going to lay down.”

Photos from the Windham JD Event - Click to see larger version of Photographs