Submitted by John Ball
(Wampsville, NY –May 2013) The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, in partnership with the Office of the Madison County Sheriff and other county law enforcement agencies, will be observing National Missing Children’s Day this year.
May 25 has been observed as National Missing Children’s Day since it was first recognized in 1983. NMCD serves as an annual reminder that there are thousands of children who are still missing and stresses the importance of making child protection a national priority.
The Take 25 campaign is a national child safety public awareness campaign created in 2007 by MCMEC. The campaign encourages parents to take 25 minutes to talk to their children about safety and ways to prevent abduction.
The campaign begins May 1 and continues through May 25 every year in communities throughout the country.
“Every day we hear stories about children who escaped a would-be abductor because someone talked to them about what they should do in that type of situation”, said NCMEC CEO John Ryan. “Education and open communication are key to keeping children safer. Take 25 minutes and talk to your child.”
Madison County Sheriff Allen Riley noted that there are more than 1,000 attempted abductions each year, with a majority of the attempted abduction victims being female.
Nearly one half are children between the ages of 10 and 14 and occur when a child is walking to or from school, the school bus or while riding a bicycle.
“Know the risks your children face, such as the threat of abduction, and the threat of online predators,” Riley said. “With the right information and resources, we all must take action to better protect our children and pave the way to a safer tomorrow. Please, take 25 minutes and sit down with your children, grandchildren or other young loved ones to discuss their safety.”
Riley said any person who is aware of a potential child safety issue in our community or has information that is felt law enforcement should be aware of are encouraged to reach out to the Sheriff’s Office at (315) 366-2311, or their local police department.
More information on the Take 25 campaign, as well as some pointers for parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles to help start this important conversation can be found on the Sheriff’s Office website, madisoncounty.ny.gov/Sheriff.
Every year in America, an estimated 800,000 children are reported missing, more than 2,000 daily. Of that number, it is estimated that 200,000 are abducted by family members and approximately 58,000 are abducted by non-family members.
Each year, it is estimated that 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 84 percent of cases, the child escaped would-be abductors through their own actions.
Teaching children about safety works. It saves lives.
John Ball is undersheriff for Madison County.