According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), an estimated 800,000 children are reported missing each year nationwide. That averages out to approximately 2,000 children per day. Of that number, 200,000 are abducted by family members. The primary motivation for non-family abductions is sexual exploitation. In the most heinous cases of abduction, children are held for ransom, taken with the abductors’ intent on keeping the child, or murdered.
MCC Public Safety would like to join the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in recognizing May 25th as National Missing Children’s Day. The significance of May 25th dates back to May 25th 1979 when 6 year old Ethan Patz disappeared from a New York City street corner on his way to school; he is still missing today. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan declared May 25th as National Missing Children’s Day in Ethan’s honor. NCMEC, together with local, state, and national law enforcement agencies as well as volunteers from their respective communities have implemented programs that train, educate, and assist in the recovery of more than 138,000 children, improving the recovery rate of at risk children from 62% in 1990 to 97% today!
MCC Public Safety would like to invite you to learn more about the fight against child exploitation and abduction by visiting <<https://www.missingkids.com>>. For more information about the NCMEC Rochester branch, call (585) 242-0900 or contact MCCPS Officer Chuck DiSalvo at <<mailto:cdisalvo@monroecc.edu>>
Lee Struble
Public Safety
05/21/2009 |