Missing Children: Prevention Tips
In the United States, more than 2000 children under the age of 18 are reported missing every day. On a yearly basis, more than 200,000 children are the victim of family abductions and approximately 58,200 are the victim of non-family abductions. The moment you suspect a friend or family member to be missing, contact Liar Catchers immediately to take action. While the police department is obligated to follow protocol and wait a certain amount of time before beginning their investigation, we are able to start working on locating missing people from the moment a client calls us with a report.
In order to prevent missing children, parents should always make sure to do the following:
- Teach children by the age of 2 to memorize their first/last names, home address, telephone number, the names of their parents, and how to dial 911
- Develop a secret “family password” and instruct children never to leave home or school with someone who does not know what that password is
- Teach them to yell “HELP” if they sense danger from an unknown adult
- Prevent runaways by spending enough quality time with the child, listening intently to any worries or fears they may be experiencing, and refraining from talking to them in a lecturing manner
- Always know the whereabouts of your children
- Never leave children in an unattended vehicle
- Do not allow young children to go into public bathrooms alone
- Always have a detailed and updated description of your child on hand
One of the most useful tools for parents today is the Child ID Kit, developed by the National Child Identification Program.
