Parent Talk / February 2006
Missing in Action
The words “missing child” call to mind tragic and frightening kidnappings reported in the national news. But a child can be missing for many reasons, and the problem of missing children is far more complex than the headlines suggest. Getting a clear picture of how many children become missing—and why—is an important step in addressing the problem.
According the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) between 85- 90 % of over 800,000 persons reported missing annually to American law enforcement agencies are under 18. The numbers translate into about 2,100 calls a day from parents or primary care givers who feel the disappearance is serious enough to call law enforcement.
Kidnapping makes up less than 2 % of all violent crimes against juveniles reported to police, but due in large part to the efforts of parents who have lost their their own child, missing children have become a major focus of both the media and law enforcement.
According to the United States Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Juvenile Justice Bulletin, there are three distinct types of kidnapping: kidnapping by a relative of the victim or “family kidnapping” (49 %), kidnapping by an acquaintance of the victim or “acquaintance kidnapping” (27 %), and kidnapping by a stranger to the victim or “stranger kidnapping” (24 %).
Family kidnapping is committed primarily by parents. It involves a larger percentage of female perpetrators (43 %) percent) than other types of kidnapping offenses. Family kidnapping occurs more frequently to boys and girls equally under the age of six. It most often originates in the home.
Acquaintance kidnapping involves a comparatively high percentage of juvenile perpetrators. It has the largest percentage of female and teenage victims and is more often associated with other crimes, especially sexual and physical assault. Acquaintance kidnapping occurs at homes and residences, and has the highest percentage of injured victims.
Stranger kidnappings victimize more females than males. They occur primarily at outdoor locations. Teenagers and school age children are both victims. Sexual assault is often associated in the case of girl victims and robberies in the case of boy victims, although not exclusively so. Stranger kidnappings are most likely to involve the use of a firearm.
One prominent organization that handles the constant flow of urgent information between police, parents and concerned organizations on a national basis is the Polly Klaas Foundation, named in memory of Polly Klaas, a northern California girl abducted and killed in 1993. Staff and volunteers from the Foundation help children and families in trouble and work with law enforcement officials across the country to recover missing children.
Their slogan and their objective is “Making America Safe For All Children.”
At the Foundation’s headquarters in Petaluma, California, a powerful database system maintains essential case files including names, locations and descriptions and law enforcement contacts and leads. Case information is constantly updated, ready to be shared with law enforcement officials. Photographs of missing kids are turned into flyers composedwithin the database, using a standard template, and the finished posters are easily printed for use by parents, law enforcement and volunteers. .
The AMBER Alert Plan, created in 1997 in response to the abduction and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, and transportation agencies to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases. Broadcasters use the Emergency Alert System to air a description of the abducted child and suspected abductor, a concept also used during severe weather emergencies. The goal of an AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and safe recovery of the child.
What may bring parents comfort is the knowledge that the stereotypical abduction where a child is taken by a stranger with the intent to keep or harm the child is the least common type of missing child event.
Children become missing for a variety of circumstances other than abduction, including running away, getting lost or being delayed by a mishap on the way home. Simple misunderstandings about schedules and miscommunication about plans and activities can cause a child to be “missing”. Whether a child is “missing” depends on the knowledge and state of mind of the child’s caretaker, not the child’s actual condition or circumstance. Despite concern, a missing child may not be in any peril and may only be a victim of miscommunication. Contacting the police to report a missing child doesn’t necessarily measure the seriousness of the situation, but rather the caretaker’s assessment of the need for law enforcement assistance. PL
Copyright © 2005-2006 A Woman's View. All rights reserved.
Femme Fair 2006
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