Missing Children
Introduction:
Approximately 797,500 children go missing a year, but could someone you know be
the most pertinent threat to your child (Missing Children Fast Facts)? Family
abduction is the most common source of abduction in missing children cases and
25% of the time the abductor is an acquaintance of the child (Your guide to
child abduction). If only 1 in 10,000 child abductions result in death, should
missing children be considered an epidemic (2)? Carlie Burcia, Amber Hagerman,
and Megan Kanka would sure think so (1). These three children have little in
common other than the fact that their lives were prematurely ended at the hand
of their abductors. Child abduction can occur in many forms and end with a
plethora of results ranging from blissful to tragic. While child abduction is
nearly impossible to eradicate, there are several steps we can take as parents,
neighbors, and citizens can take to help prevent it.
History:
Children have been reported missing
for centuries, but it wasn’t until about the 1970’s that the epidemic received
national media attention (Kelly-Rodabough). Before widespread media, major
missing persons cases consisted of people being held for ransom or unidentified
fallen soldiers. In 1979, the disappearance of Etan Patz marched a monumental
step in aiding the swift resolution of child abductions (Sampson). Patz was the
first missing child to appear on a milk carton, and despite his abductor never
being found, it helped publicize and disperse information on missing children
(1). As new technologies began to emerge, the public shifted away from milk
cartons and an age of electronic communication was ushered in. In 1996 Amber
Hagerman was abducted at the age of nine. Hagerman’s case, like many missing
children’s cases, was time sensitive. When she was abducted the only
description of the vehicle was a witness report that a blue truck was seen
leaving the scene (Barber). Unfortunately Hagerman’s body was found just a
couple days later, however her death was not in vain (1). Her family founded
the AMBER ALERT system that has been used to save over 500 missing children and
is used in all fifty states (1).
In January, 1984, The National Center
for Missing and Exploited Children was founded by the family of Adam Walsh and
several other child advocates (Missing and Exploited). Adam Walsh was a six
year old who was reported missing at a mall in Florida. His family turned to
law enforcement and were astonished at lack of coordination on the state and
national level (1). Later he was found brutally murdered. Today, The National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children has helped raise awareness, provided
training and tips, and has helped several missing children get home safely. In
1988, they created a cyber tip line which serves as the national mechanism for
the public and electronic service providers to report a suspected child sexual
exploitation (1).
In 2000, the second National
Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children classified
missing children as runaway/thrownaway,
nonfamily abductions, family abductions, custodial interference, lost and
involuntarily missing, missing due to injury, missing due to false alarm
situations, and sexually assaulted (Kelly- Rodabough). Thrownaways are children
who are abandoned or forced from their home by their parents (1). Non-family
abductions are children taken by nonrelatives without consent of the parent or
legal guardian (1). Often times this type of abduction is the most scary and dangerous.
Family abductions are when a relative illegally takes a child. Family
abductions are the most common form of missing children’s cases. From 1999 to
2000, child abductions had increased by 67 percent internationally. As the number of child abductions per year
continues to rise today, we must get this epidemic under control.
Social
Effects:
In the United States of America women, both old
and young, are at a greater risk for being abducted. This may have to do with
the large amount of abductions that result in sexual assault and the majority
of abductors are men. While women are more likely to play a role in family
abductions, men are the more common perpetrators in, the more dangerous,
non-family abductions. Approximately seventy four percent of non- family
abductions victimize girls (Bilich). Even though there is a gender gap in
missing person’s cases, both genders should remain vigilant.
Mexico leads the world in the highest rate of
kidnappings, but India is a pretty close second. Mexico’s abduction rate has
risen 243 percent in the past ten years (Partlow). They have an estimated 760 abductions
per day. In the United States, Phoenix, Arizona has become the abduction
capital with nearly 370 reported cases in the city alone (Ross).
Examples:
Perhaps one of the scariest things about child
abductors is how cunning and intelligent they are. Despite the rise in
awareness and media attention surrounding the missing children epidemic, the
cunning predators still find new ruses to lure their prey. Their tactics have
evolved far beyond the “hey you want some candy” ruse that our parents all warn
us about. Amber Hagerman was abducted at a local grocery store in the middle of
the day while her brother rode alongside her, yet her captor was never caught. Marion
Parker’s abductor waltz right into her school under the pretense that her
father had been in an accident. The school released her to the man that called
himself “The Fox” and that was the last time she was seen alive (Fane).
More concerning than how children are abducted
is who they are abducted by. Fernando Marti was the son of Mexico’s wealthiest
man (Fane). He was driven to school in an armored vehicle, but in 2008 his car
was stopped at a police traffic stop (1). Men dressed as federal officers ambushed
the car and killed everyone inside (1). Many corrupt police officers were
arrested for their compliance with the ambush (1). Felipe Santos and Terrance
Williams disappeared shortly after being cited for minor road infractions
(Warder). Officer Stephen Henry Calkins placed them into his patrol vehicle and
they were never seen again and were never booked at the police station for their
crimes (1). Trust in law enforcement has already been fading in recent years but
rarely would you expect them to be the source crime.
While non-family abductions tend to be the most
interesting and get the most media attention, the most common missing
children’s cases are family abductions. There are approximately 354,100 family
abductions annually which puts into perspective how uncommon non-family
abductions are with only around 3,200 cases every year (Kelly-Rodabough). The
primary motivations for this kind of abduction is custody battles and domestic
conflicts amongst the parents. Fortunately, only 1 in every 10,000 missing
child reports result in the death of the child (1).
Solutions:
While the epidemic of missing
children will realistically never be completely eradicated, there are numerous
steps we, as a society, can take to ensure the safety of our children. In order
for children to make smart and swift decisions in the face of danger, they must
be educated of how to spot an offender, how to avoid an offender, and how to
properly prosecute and report suspicious behavior. To deter malicious intent of
harming children, offenders must have harsher punishments.
There are
eight telltale signs of a child abductor that can be easily identified without
contact. Bystanders and victims must be able to identify a ruse, notice a
struggling child, identify suspicious activity, identify bribery, notice the
use of children as bait, be weary of a man in uniform, pick up on the awkward
use of “miss” or “mister”, and be vigilant of alerts (Sofronova). While this
may all seem like a lot to remember, if you are educated, it is often easy to
identify when things seem amiss. Perhaps the hardest thing to pick up on is the
abductors ruse. Numerous child abductors are very cunning and innovative
criminals who are always scheming new ways to lure their victims. While we must
continue to be watchful for the stereotypical stranger offering our children
candy; children and adults alike must understand that abductors aim to isolate
a child and nearly 90% of the time the child knows or trusts their offenders
(Kidsafe Foundation).
Beyond
teaching adults about the atrocities of child abduction, the most imperative
prevention technique is teaching the victims themselves. In previous years
there was a national push for the “Don’t Talk to Strangers” campaign at schools
and seminars in an effort to dwindle the increasing number of missing children
cases each year (Kidsafe foundation). Many forums, however, have exercised
their recent displeasure with the campaign because they argue that is not a
realistic life lesson because in reality interaction with strangers is a
necessary part of functioning in life and, after-all, “not all strangers are
bad” (1). Rather than teach children to fear strangers, we need to educate
children at a young age on how to recognize a threatening situation and
identify child abductors. The biggest safety tip is the one that media seems to
constantly leave out. Child abductors are often times not strangers. Children
should not walk anywhere without a parent or care taker and should avoid going
into cars or secluded places alone with anyone (gross). A parent must teach
their kid that it is okay to be rude if they feel threatened or take advantage
of and that an adult should never approach a child for help (1).
There are
several misconceptions, primarily due to media, about the process of missing
children cases. The most notorious misunderstanding is that you must wait 24
hours before filing a missing person’s report when in reality there is no time
constraint on when to call the police. Parents should also try to allow their
kids to openly express their feelings and make them comfortable enough for them
to tell their secrets. If they see suspicious activity they need to feel
comfortable enough to tell an adult, who should then report the activity to law
enforcement. While society must remain vigilant, the legal system needs to take
greater action in deterring child abductors. Currently the average sentencing
ranges from one to twenty years in prison. It is preposterous to think that
some can steal a precious baby and only get one measly year in prison.
Camus and
Absurdity
Infamous
novelist, Albert Camus, had quite a depressing outlook on life. He believed
that life was meaningless and that human’s quest to find meaning is absurd. He
was an atheist because the idea of a god was irrational. Either he did not
exist then he cannot be a source of meaning, but if god does exist then he must
clearly be a psychopath who obviously condones pain and suffering. Regardless
of the truth, both outcomes support that finding mean is absurd (Maguire).
Camus would probably be disgusted
with all the rules and lessons to prevent abductions because he would find them
pointless. If a person wants to abduct another person then they will and this
is absurd because those who we love can care for will inevitably suffer. He would, however, have praised the demand
for the change in education and the increased scrutiny placed on government
involvement with abductions. Camus disliked government rules because they
impaired individual freedom, or, in this case, threatened public safety. He
believes that even though we do not live in complete hopelessness, “our efforts
are largely futile,” but we must endure (Jones 5:02). The biggest discrepancy
in Camus’ way of thinking and the harsh reality of child abduction, lies in a
person’s motive. In The Outsider,
Camus tells the story of an Algerian boy who commits a “murder without knowing
his intentions,” but in abductions there is always a motive. Abductions are
typically fueled by money, envy, or love and rarely are random or have
opportunistic victims.
Conclusion:
450,000 children are reported missing
to the police each year and seems to have to have no intent on dwindling
naturally. In order to protect the children, who cannot protect themselves,
society must come together by educating and protecting each other. It is absurd
that families cannot feel safe as they are having fun with their children in
public, but with a collaborative effort and better education on the epidemic,
children will become less targeted by abductors.
Works Cited
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Benjoseph, Cherie, et al. “Why ‘Don't
Talk To Strangers’ Can Put Your Child In Danger.”ModernMom, 11 Apr.
2016, www.modernmom.com/e2a8b542-3b3e-11e3-be8a-bc764e04a41e.html.
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, Cable News Network, 23 Apr. 2017,
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listverse.com/2014/04/24/10-tragic-and-terrifying-child-abductions/.
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Used to Target the Rich. Now Even Taco Vendors Are Victims.” The
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Missing Persons Cases.” Listverse, 21 June 2014,
listverse.com/2013/08/27/10-controversial-missing-persons-cases/.
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