Wednesday, May 14, 2008

National Child Safety Campaign Marks National Missing Children's Day

Children's Actions Result in Escape From 50 Percent of Attempted Abductions
ALEXANDRIA, VA - The second annual, national Take 25 child safety campaign will take place during the month of May in hundreds of communities across the country.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) launched the campaign last year to encourage families to take 25 minutes to talk to their children about safety and abduction prevention. A website for the campaign, www.Take25.org , lists 25 safety tips that can help save a child's life. The campaign begins May 1 and continues through National Missing Children's Day on May 25. Nationwide, more than 600 events are scheduled in 266 communities and 49 states.
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, for which the primary motive is sexual. Each year, 115 children are the victims of the most serious abductions; they are taken by non-family members and either murdered, ransomed or taken with the intent to keep. An analysis of attempted abduction cases by NCMEC found that in 56% of the cases, the child escaped would-be abductors by yelling, kicking, pulling away, running away or attracting attention.
May 25 has been observed as National Missing Children's Day since it was first proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. The Take 25 campaign will help parents and others teach children to be alert to potential threats and provide simple preventative steps that children can take to stay safe.