| How
many missing children are there?
What can I do to prevent family
abduction?
Aren’t most missing kids a result
of custodial disagreements?
How many missing children are found
deceased? What hours
are most critical when trying to locate a missing child?
How big of a problem is child sexual exploitation?
How many children are sexually
approached and/or solicited online?
Are "stranger-danger"
Programs Effective?
Do the cards I get in the mail
really help recover missing children?
Do you put pictures of missing kids
on milk cartons?
Is NCMEC John Walsh’s organization?
How can I help find missing
children?
How can I donate to NCMEC?
How do I get copies of NCMEC publications?
May I photocopy NCMEC's safety tips?
What is the CyberTipline?
Please contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's
(NCMEC) Communications Department by calling 703-837-6111 if you have
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How many missing children
are there?
Answer: The
problem of missing children is complex and multifaceted. There are different
types of missing children including family abductions; endangered runaways;
nonfamily abductions; and lost, injured, or otherwise missing children.
The best national estimates for the number of missing children are from
incidence studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
To date two such studies have been completed. The first National Incidence
Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children (NISMART-1)
was released in 1990, and the second, known as NISMART-2, was released
in October 2002. According to NISMART-2 research, which studied
the year 1999, an estimated 797,500 children were reported missing; 58,200
children were abducted by nonfamily members; 115 children were the victims
of the most serious, long-term nonfamily abductions called "stereotypical
kidnappings"; and 203,900 children were the victims of family abductions.
REFERENCE: For more information on missing children abduction estimates
and the NISMART studies, please read
NISMART-2,
October 2002. National Estimates of Missing Children: An Overview
NISMART-2,
October 2002. Nonfamily Abducted Children: National Estimates and Characteristics
NISMART-2,
October 2002. Children Abducted by Family Members: National Estimates
and Characteristics
NISMART-2,
October 2002. Runaway/Thrownaway Children: National Estimates and Characteristics
NISMART-2,
October 2002. NISMART Questions and Answers
Top
What can I do to prevent family
abduction?
Answer: The most important thing you can
do to prevent abduction is to maintain healthy communication with your
children and spouse. In the event of a family abduction, however, having
up-to-date photos of both your children and your spouse will be helpful.
NCMEC also recommends that you teach your child important telephone numbers
and where to go in case of an emergency..
REFERENCE: To learn about family abductions
and how to prevent them please read
Early Identification
of Risk Factors for Parental Abduction
Just
in Case…Parental Guidelines in Case You Are Considering Family Separation
Top
Aren’t most missing kids a result
of custodial disagreements?
Answer: The largest number of missing children
are “runaways”; followed by “family abductions”; then “lost, injured,
or otherwise missing children”; and finally, the smallest category, but
the one in which the child is at greatest risk of injury or death, “nonfamily
abductions.” Many times this question is asked under the assumption that
family abductions are not a serious matter; however, this is not true.
In most cases children are told that the left-behind parent doesn’t want
or love them. These children may live the life of a fugitive, always on
the run with the noncustodial parent and stripped away from their home,
friends, school, and family.
REFERENCE: For definitions, kidnapping statistics,
and more parental abduction information please read
Kidnapping
of Juveniles: Patterns From National Incident Based Report System
(NIBRS)
"The
Kid Is With A Parent How Bad Can It Be?": The Crisis of Family Abductions
in America
Top
How many missing children are
found deceased? What hours are most critical when trying to locate a missing
child?
Answer: According to a 1997 study by the
State of Washington’s Office of the Attorney General “the murder of a
child who is abducted ... is a rare event. There are estimated to be about
100 such incidents in the United States each year, less than one-half
of one percent of the murders committed”; however, “74 percent of abducted
children who are murdered are dead within three hours of the abduction.”
REFERENCE: For victim and predator profiles
and missing-children homicide statistics please read
Case
Management for Missing Children Homicide Investigation
Top
How big
of a problem is child sexual exploitation?
Answer: The sexual victimization of children is overwhelming in
magnitude yet largely unrecognized and underreported. Statistics show
that 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys are sexually exploited before they
reach adulthood, yet less than 35% of those child sexual assaults are
reported to authorities.
REFERENCE: To learn more about child sexual exploitation and prevention,
please visit NCMEC's
campaign against child sexual exploitation and read
Preventing
the Sexual Exploitation of Children
Parental
Guidelines in Case Your Child Might Someday be the Victim of Sexual Exploitation
How many children are sexually
approached and/or solicited online?
Answer: According to Online Victimization
of Youth: Five Years Later conducted by the Crimes Against Children
Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, approximately one
in seven youth online (10 to 17-years-old) received a sexual solicitation
or approach over the Internet.
REFERENCE: For prevention resources and to learn
about the seriousness of online predators, online statistics, and profiles
please read
Online
Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later
Highlights
of the Youth Internet Safety Survey (2001)
Netsmartz
Workshop
Top
Are "stranger-danger"
Programs effective?
Answer: The National Center for Missing
& Exploited Children (NCMEC) does not, as a matter of policy, provide
reviews of unsolicited materials, but we do appreciate knowing about educational
materials that are available to families. In 1984 the National Center
for Missing & Exploited Children was created as the clearinghouse
federally mandated by the U.S. Congress to assist families and law enforcement
in cases of missing and exploited children. In that role we are happy
to share our general philosophy and information about resources regarding
safety and prevention education.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children does not ascribe
to the "stranger-danger" message. We have learned that children
do not have the same understanding of who a stranger is as an adult might;
therefore, it is a difficult concept for the child to grasp. It is much
more beneficial to children to help them build the confidence and self-esteem
they need to stay as safe as possible in any potentially dangerous situation
they encounter rather than teaching them to be "on the look out"
for a particular type of person. The "stranger-danger" message
is not effective and, based on what we know about those who harm children,
danger to children is greater from someone they or their family knows
than from a "stranger."
For decades, parents, guardians, and teachers have told children to "stay
away from strangers," in an effort to keep them safe. In response
to the on-going debate about the effectiveness of such programs, NCMEC
released the research-based Guidelines
for Programs to Reduce Child Victimization: A Resource for Communities
When Choosing a Program to Teach Personal Safety to Children to
assist schools as they select curricula aimed at reducing crimes against
children.
NCMEC created its Education Standards Task Force in 1997 to assess leading
research and tap the best thinking to create meaningful, usable guidelines
and criteria for child-safety curricula. The Task Force concluded "while
virtually every school conducts some sort of child-safety program for
its students, most are inadequate and few offer the kind of positive,
comprehensive, research-based, grade- and age-appropriate curricula that
is necessary." The Task Force concluded that all training and educational
materials proposed for use by schools and organizations that serve children
should
- be based on accepted educational theories
- be appropriate for the age, educational, and developmental levels
of the child
- offer concepts that will help children build self-confidence in order
to better handle and protect themselves in all types of situations
- have multiple program components that are repeated several years in
a row
- utilize qualified presenters who use role-playing, behavioral rehearsal,
feedback, and active participation
These Guidelines include a Preparation Checklist, Curriculum Scorecard,
and Program Evaluation Checklist to "provide a framework for communities
when selecting safety programs and making curriculum decisions, in order
for school decision-makers to provide the most effective program possible"
and one that children will enjoy and understand and will change children's
behavior to help keep them safer.
REFERENCE: To find out more about how to protect
your children be sure to read
Child
Protection
Guidelines
for Programs to Reduce Child Victimization: A Resource for Communities
When Choosing a Program to Teach Personal Safety to Children
Know
the Rules...Abduction and Kidnapping Prevention Tips for Parents and Guardians
Know
the Rules...General Parental Tips to Help Keep Your Children Safer
Top
Do the cards I get in the mail
really help recover missing children?
Answer: Absolutely. One in six of the missing
kids featured on these cards and through the efforts of other NCMEC photo
partners are recovered as a direct result of the photograph. In fact,
because of the ADVO® mailing, NCMEC
reaches up to 79 million homes weekly with the photographs of missing
children.
Top
Do you put pictures of missing
kids on milk cartons?
Answer: Although NCMEC itself does not post
photographs of missing children on milk cartons, NCMEC photo partners
may do so. There are more than 360 active corporate photo partners nationwide.
Top
Is NCMEC John Walsh’s organization?
Answer: After the abduction and murder of
their son, Adam, in 1981, John and Revé Walsh became effective advocates
on behalf of missing children’s issues. Mrs. Walsh serves on the NCMEC
Board of Directors and Mr. Walsh serves on the Board’s Chief Executive
Officers Council and National Advisory Board, and acts as an NCMEC spokesperson.
Their hard work and determination helped to create NCMEC which now serves
as the national clearinghouse for information on missing children and
the prevention of child victimization.
REFERENCE: To learn more about NCMEC and the
many services it provides please visit "Our
Services" on this website or read
Annual
Report
About Us
Top
How can I help find missing
children?
Answer: The best way to help NCMEC is to
take the time to look at the photographs of missing children in the many
venues, including ADVO postcards, at Wal-Mart® stores, in federal
buildings, and report any information about those children to NCMEC’s
toll-free Hotline 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678). You can also help by
keeping up-to-date photographs of your own children. After all, one out
of six of the children featured in this NCMEC's photo distribution program
has been recovered as a direct result.
REFERENCE: To become more aware of ways you
can help find missing children visit the "Get
Involved" area on this web site.
Top
How can I donate to
NCMEC?
Answer: You can donate online through our Donate
Now page; make a contribution via credit card by telephone at 1-866-411-KIDS
(1-866-411-5437) toll-free between 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. (EST); mail
your donation to: Development Department, National Center for Missing
& Exploited Children, Charles B. Wang International Children's Building,
699 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-3175.
Top
How do I get copies of NCMEC
publications?
Answer: To obtain a list of or order NCMEC
books and brochures, please call the toll-free Hotline 1-800-THE-LOST
(1-800-843-5678) or visit the Publications
area on this web site.
Top
May I
photocopy NCMEC's safety tips?
Answer: As the federally mandated clearinghouse established to
assist with cases of missing and exploited children, the National Center
for Missing & Exploited Children has a policy that promotes the wide
disseminating of our copyrighted publications for educational, noncommercial
purposes. Please read our Reprint
Policy to learn the specific criteria under which you are allowed
to reprint and disseminate our copyrighted materials.
Top
What is the CyberTipline?
Answer: The Congressionally-mandated CyberTipline is a reporting
mechanism for cases of child sexual exploitation including pornographic
images of children, online enticement of children for sex acts, molestation
of children outside the family, sex tourism of children, child victims
of prostitution, and unsolicited obscene material sent to a child. Reports
may be made 24-hours per day, 7 days per week online at www.cybertipline.com
or by calling 1-800-843-5678.
Reference: For more information, please visit the CyberTipline area
on this web site.
CyberTipline
Fact Sheet
CyberTipline:
Annual Report Totals by Incident
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