Help Find Missing Children
Children go missing in the United States at a very alarming rate. Even when parents are trying their hardest to make sure that they are aware of their child’s activities, Internet use, and the company they keep, there are still hundreds of thousands of cases where kids still go missing. It is all of our responsibilities to help out in any way that we can, because if we are ever put in the same situation, we would want the same support and assistance to get us through a difficult time and hopefully reunite with our loved ones. The organizations that are profiled below are just a few that are helping out the cause by bringing these cases to our attention.
Visiting the AmberWatch Foundation website will immediately show you the gravity of the situation. Right at the top of the page it says that “On average, a child is reported missing every 40 seconds” and there is a counter that shows how many children have been reported missing since you first entered their website. The main goal of this group is to provide children and parents information that will help to prevent child abductions. Their belief is that the more that we talk about important issues such as these, the more people will learn about the subject, and that is absolutely true. The foundation’s “Be Safe!” program is educating the public by presenting their curriculum in schools, distributing their informative books, creating print, radio, and television public service announcements, and making personal safety devices available to kids.
Another program that has been developed to help prevent child abductions and educate families is the Kidguard Safety Program that was developed by Child Watch of North America. Their website includes pictures and information about children that are currently missing, complete with computer enhanced images that show what the child would look like today. The Child Watch group and the Kidguard Safety program were both formed in 1993. The program provides personal identification cards for kids with their photograph and fingerprint since having an up to date picture of a missing child is the most important part of the search. All of the programs that are provided by Child Watch are completely free.
One of the organizations that has dedicated themselves to finding missing, abducted, and runaway children is Operation Lookout. They have been reuniting parents with their children for over 25 years and are still helping families today. Their website includes a hotline that parents can call if their child is missing (1-800-LOOKOUT) and speak with somebody no matter what time of day it is. The site also has several ways that you can contribute to the cause, including a link to a page where anybody can donate. There are several educational resources as well, like an explanation of how the Amber Alert works, how to get schools involved, stories about abducted and found children, along with many other articles and tools for families.
There is one group that has been providing children with not only knowledge about how to prevent harm or abduction, but also what they can do if they find themselves in a harmful situation. Kids Fighting Chance has instructional videos available on their website that shows children step by step how they can respond to an attacker so that they can stun them long enough to escape. The Give Kids a Fighting Chance video also shows how to keep from being put into a vehicle, disable the vehicle if they are already in it, and bring attention to the scene so that they can get away. The techniques and skills that are offered through these videos can be very useful in dangerous circumstances and it is a good idea for kids to know how they can empower themselves.
If you or somebody you know has had an experience with child abduction, and even if you have not, read about how this problem is affecting people and how you can help out. Although the scope of these projects are much larger, if even one child is reunited with their child through the efforts of these organizations, it will be worth it.
