1979 New York was filled with graffiti, urban decay, high crime rates, and the rise of the underground lifestyle. In the midst of all the worry of other crimes, a sudden shift happened in households across the nation. On May 25th, six-year-old Etan Patz walked out of his home in a spurt of independence only to never return again. The search for Etan began that same day with police, volunteers, and family coming together to put out posters and physically searching apartments and homes of neighbors. Suddenly all of lower Manhattan became afflicted by Etan’s disappearance as parents began implementing safety measures, schools began holding Stranger Danger mandatory presentations, and milk carton manufacturers began printing missing children posters, starting with Etan. His disappearance also sparked President Ronald Reagan to deem that fateful day – May 25th – as National Missing Children’s Day. Additionally, this led to the creation of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 1984.
National Missing Children’s Day is in honor of encouraging parents, guardians, caregivers, and others concerned with the well-being of children to make child safety a priority. The day also serves as a reminder that every child deserves to feel safe and have a safe childhood. In the United States alone, over 460,000 children have gone missing. What can we do to protect ourselves and also honor the thousands of Missing Children every year?
Honor the Missing by Protecting the Found
While the statistics are overwhelming, we also want to focus on the most important statistic: of the almost half a million children lost, approximately 97% are found. Most abductions in the United States are done by family members or someone the child knows well, totalling to about 50% of all attempted or completed abductions with this being true. The Committee for Missing Children, Inc. concludes that while all missing children cases are taken seriously, all cases pertaining to a heated parental custody dispute or stranger abductions have a special air of urgency as these cases tend to endanger the child more. In this post, we have included the link to their website as well as others that not only help locate missing children but also assist in the aftermath and all that occurs once a child is found.
Honor the Missing by Protecting Your Children
We at Damsel believe that being paranoid is no way to live life and we exist to encourage you to live life to the fullest while being aware of the dangers of society today. We also believe that preparedness begins in the home with trusted adults who are open to having honest conversations with their children which is why we created the SafeHearts line. SAFE Hearts stands for Sharing Awareness for Family Empowerment. This family education line is designed to help adults and children navigate the most important, yet difficult conversations; to empower children to take ownership over their own hearts and bodies, raise their awareness, and give them the ability to protect themselves against anyone who may try to harm them. This educational line focuses on prevention just as much as it does on healing and restoration. We also have a Proactive Parent Guide that is full of tips and guidance for parents as they navigate through safety conversations with their children about important topics. To learn more, contact your local Damsel Safety Educator here today.
Resources
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
https://www.missingkids.org/home
(800) 843-5678
The Committee for Missing Children, Inc.
(800) 525-8204
