Every Child Deserves to Be Safe

By Julie Nauman, VCGCB Executive Officer

On May 25th 1979, six-year-old Etan Patz went missing from the streets of New York, while on his way to school. His disappearance sparked national media coverage and though his body was never found, Patz was declared dead in 2001. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the anniversary of Patz’s disappearance as National Missing Children’s Day in 1983. This observance aims to highlight the problem of child abduction, promote ways to keep children safe and provide support for families of victims.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children®

 has assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more

 than 183,000 missing children since it was founded in 1984.

In the past 23 years, there has been a 35 percent increase in the number of missing children who are found. Unfortunately, 2,200 children are still reported missing daily. We can help raise awareness about child abduction and promote safety in several ways:

Stay informed. Keep yourself updated on missing children in your community. Report any sighting of a missing child to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Their hotline (1-800-843-5678) is available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you have children, take the time to learn about and exercise child safety and abduction prevention and communicate safety information to your child. For example, make sure your child knows what to do if a stranger approaches. In addition, keep track of how much personal information your child reveals online. You can find more child safety tips at http://www.take25.org/.

Spread the word. Share information about missing children and exploited children with others in your community.

Join the effort. NCMEC offers three campaigns that help promote awareness about missing and exploited children. Their Take 25 Campaign, encourages families to spend 25 minutes talking to children about safety and abduction prevention. NCMEC also has a campaign that educates communities on child sexual exploitation and how to recognize it and a campaign that encourages the use of photos to help find missing children.

Learn more about the missing children in your community by visiting www.missingkids.com. Let’s work together to keep our children safe.

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Julie Nauman is the Executive Officer for the Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board (VCGCB). VCGCB provides compensation for victims of violent crime and helps to resolve claims against the State.

Putting Safety and Prevention First During National Missing Children's Day

By Julie Nauman, VCGCB Executive Officer

Posters asking for the safe return of missing California
teen, Sierra LaMar, show messages and well-wishes.
Credit: Los Angeles Times

As of today, 15-year-old Sierra LaMar from Morgan Hill remains missing. Police believe Sierra was abducted the morning of March 16, 2012 while walking to a school bus stop near her home. Sierra is but one of hundreds of children currently missing in California.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicates that over 2,100 children are reported missing in America each day. Last year, the Department of Justice reported 94,152 children missing in California. In the same year 63,346 runaways returned on his/her own, 17,840 lost children were located by law enforcement and 36 children were found deceased.

Children who return home often benefit from care and assistance as they transition back to their lives. Over the last three fiscal years, the California Victim Compensation Program has provided over $1.3 million to kidnapped and rescued children in California for services including medical, dental and mental health treatment. In the most tragic of circumstances, eligible parents and guardians are provided funding to help bury their loved ones.

The NCMEC found that in 81% of attempted abduction cases, children escaped would-be abductors through their own actions by yelling, kicking, pulling away, running away or attracting attention.

Understanding prevention and safety is necessary to reduce the number of missing children.

Take a moment to review this list of helpful resources and information:

• The Take 25 campaign urges parents to take 25 minutes to talk to their children about safety, abduction and prevention. NCMEC has produced a list of safety tips as a part of its national child safety campaign.
• The AMBER Alert™ Program is a voluntary partnership between law enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies and the wireless industry for the most serious child abduction cases. Through May 16, 2012, the program has helped safely recover 584 children.
• NetSmartz provides age-appropriate resources to teach children and teens to be safer on- and offline. Games, videos, tip sheets and presentations are designed for children, teens, parents, guardians, educators and law enforcement to help empower our communities to make safer decisions.
• Legislation plays an important role in keeping our communities safe. On September 9, 2010, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 1844 which provides tougher penalties for sexual offenders. This legislation, also known as Chelsea’s Law, was introduced in collaboration with Brent and Kelly King in response to the murder of their 17-year-old daughter Chelsea by a registered sex offender.

We keep Sierra LaMar in our thoughts and hope for her safe return. I hope you will join me in remembering her and all the children who have yet to be found. Let us do all we can to teach safety and prevention to our young ones.

To learn more about NCMEC, call the toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit the web site at http://www.missingkids.com./

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Julie Nauman is the Executive Officer for the Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board (VCGCB), appointed in 2008. VCGCB provides compensation for victims of violent crime and helps to resolve claims against the State.