25th Anniversary of National Missing Children's Day
May 25, 2009, marked the 25th anniversary of National Missing Children’s Day. On May 15, 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed Proclamation 5194, establishing May 25 of each year as National Missing Children’s Day. Since then, each presidential administration has reauthorized the Proclamation. The legislation for the Proclamation originated in the late 1970s. From 1979 to 1981 several missing children cases around the country garnered extensive media attention. The abductions and murders of Etan Patz, Adam Walsh, and 29 children in Atlanta brought much needed attention to missing children cases. May 25, 1979, is the day when 6-year-old Etan Patz went missing from a New York street corner on his way to school. Prior to Proclamation 5194, there was not an organized system in place to search for and locate missing children.
In 1984, The U.S. Department of Justice established a $3.3 million dollar grant that created the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Today, the Center assists law enforcement agencies and families with locating missing children and preventing child abductions.
I first became cognizant of missing children cases when I was writing an article for my college newspaper. I focused on disparities in media coverage of missing children cases. I learned of the case of Alexis Patterson, who was reported missing from her Milwaukee, Wisconsin elementary school on May 3, 2002. At the time, I read a May 6, 2002 ABCnews.com article titled “Whose Kid Is Important,” by Bryan Robinson.
In the article Roy Peter Clark of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies explained that media coverage of missing children cases often depends on the circumstances in which the child lives. “This has a lot to do with the circumstances surrounding the grieving family – whether they are rich or poor, black, or white, whether they have the resources to attract media attention. A lot of it has to do with how they look on camera, how articulate they are, whether they seem to be trying to get attention or whether they seem to be shying away from the camera. It comes down to this: For this to be a good story, it needs a good cast of characters, people who can be depended upon to respond in an articulate way.”
I recently checked the NCMEC website and Alexis Patterson is still listed as missing. Similarly to Alexis Patterson there are other children in the country who are missing as well. Approximately, 800,000 children are reported missing every year in the U.S. or 2,000 per day. Of that 800,000, an estimated 200,000 are abducted by family members and 58,000 by non-family members. This information is from “What the Numbers Tell Us,” an article by David Finkelhor published in the winter 2002/2003 edition of the journal The Front Line.
In 1984, President Reagan commented: “As a Nation committed to the worth of every individual, there can be no more imperative goal for our society than the protection and safety of our young people… As a Nation and as individuals, we all have a responsibility to direct our resources and our efforts to this worthy goal.”
I think President Reagan’s sentiments are applicable for the present day given the potential dangers that exist throughout society. Valuing and protecting our most vulnerable citizens is a goal that we can all work towards.
In 1984, The U.S. Department of Justice established a $3.3 million dollar grant that created the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Today, the Center assists law enforcement agencies and families with locating missing children and preventing child abductions.
I first became cognizant of missing children cases when I was writing an article for my college newspaper. I focused on disparities in media coverage of missing children cases. I learned of the case of Alexis Patterson, who was reported missing from her Milwaukee, Wisconsin elementary school on May 3, 2002. At the time, I read a May 6, 2002 ABCnews.com article titled “Whose Kid Is Important,” by Bryan Robinson.
In the article Roy Peter Clark of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies explained that media coverage of missing children cases often depends on the circumstances in which the child lives. “This has a lot to do with the circumstances surrounding the grieving family – whether they are rich or poor, black, or white, whether they have the resources to attract media attention. A lot of it has to do with how they look on camera, how articulate they are, whether they seem to be trying to get attention or whether they seem to be shying away from the camera. It comes down to this: For this to be a good story, it needs a good cast of characters, people who can be depended upon to respond in an articulate way.”
I recently checked the NCMEC website and Alexis Patterson is still listed as missing. Similarly to Alexis Patterson there are other children in the country who are missing as well. Approximately, 800,000 children are reported missing every year in the U.S. or 2,000 per day. Of that 800,000, an estimated 200,000 are abducted by family members and 58,000 by non-family members. This information is from “What the Numbers Tell Us,” an article by David Finkelhor published in the winter 2002/2003 edition of the journal The Front Line.
In 1984, President Reagan commented: “As a Nation committed to the worth of every individual, there can be no more imperative goal for our society than the protection and safety of our young people… As a Nation and as individuals, we all have a responsibility to direct our resources and our efforts to this worthy goal.”
I think President Reagan’s sentiments are applicable for the present day given the potential dangers that exist throughout society. Valuing and protecting our most vulnerable citizens is a goal that we can all work towards.
I never even knew there was such thing as a "Missing Children's Day". I think this is something very beneficial to have and reflect and the little ones who've gone missing and not return home. It's such a shame that people can be so cruel out there. Great article Steven!
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