NEWS RELEASE
Monday
May 19, 2008
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Contact:
D'Ann Taflin
Communications Department
(703) 837-6111
media@ncmec.org
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NATIONAL MISSING CHILDREN’S DAY IS MAY 25
What Parents Can Do to Keep Children Safe
ALEXANDRIA, VA - May 19,
2008. Every year in America an estimated 800,000 children
are reported missing, more than 2,000 children each day. Of that number,
200,000 are abducted by family members, and 58,000 are abducted by non-family
members. The primary motive for non-family abductions is sexual. Each
year 115 children are the victims of the most serious abductions, taken
by non-family members and either murdered, held for ransom, or taken with
the intent to keep.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) wants to
remind the public that National Missing Children’s Day is May 25, which
coincides with the three-day Memorial Day holiday weekend this year. The
organization wants parents to know there are things they can do to keep
their children safe and it urges parents to take 25 minutes and review
the attached safety
tips which are a part of NCMEC’s Take
25 national child
safety campaign.
“We know teaching children about safety works,” said Ernie Allen,
president and CEO of NCMEC. “It is important that parents take
the time to talk to their children about safety.”
An analysis of attempted abduction cases by NCMEC found that in 88% of the
cases, the child escaped would-be abductors through their own actions, by
yelling, kicking, pulling away, running away or attracting attention.
May 25th is the anniversary of the day in 1979 when 6-year-old Etan Patz
disappeared from a New York street corner on his way to school and has been
observed as National Missing Children’s Day since 1983 when it was first
proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan. Etan’s story captivated
the nation. His photo, taken by his father, a professional photographer
was circulated nationwide and appeared in media across the country and around
the world. The powerful image of Etan has come to symbolize the anguish
and trauma of thousands of searching families. The search for Etan continues. He
is still missing.
Next year will be the 25th anniversary of the creation of the National Center
for Missing & Exploited Children. It is the leading nonprofit organization
dealing with the issues of missing and exploited children. Since the organization
was created, the recovery rate of missing children has increased from 62% in
1990 to 96% today. In 2007, NCMEC assisted law enforcement in the recovery
of more missing children than in any other year in the organization’s
24 year history.
About the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since it was established by Congress in 1984, the organization has operated the toll-free 24-hour national missing children’s hotline which has handled more than 2.2 million calls. It has assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more than 126,000 children. The organization’s CyberTipline has handled more than 588,000 reports of child sexual exploitation and its Child Victim Identification Program has reviewed and analyzed more than 13,902,500 child pornography images and videos. The organization works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice’s office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
To learn more about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at www.missingkids.com
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