Taking Steps to Prevent Child Abduction
TAKING STEPS NOW … To Prevent Childhood Abduction by F&EG Staff -6/2005-
A 3-month-old boy was abducted from a shopping mall after his mother had left him for a few minutes in the care of her purported friends. When she returned and could not find her friends or son, she notified authorities. A Rachael Alert, nationally known as an AMBER Alert, was immediately issued, and descriptions of the child and abductors were broadcast on television and radio stations as well as electronic highway signs. A citizen in his car, who had read the Alert on a highway sign, noticed the suspects with the child walking toward a YWCA and alerted authorities. The suspects were arrested and the infant was safely returned to his mother.—as reported by Missing and Exploited Children.
With the news that her child was found, this mother’s unbearable feelings of fear, despair and near death of a mother’s soul, has suddenly turned into the most glorious wondrous feeling that she could endure. Her tears and cries of joy and relief surface while she thanks God and the helpful strangers that brought the return of her child to her arms. The experience has taken a piece of her life forever.
It is an unimaginable and haunting feeling when we think about a child being abducted from his or her family and never being rescued or found. Yet, with the help of family, friends and victims of crime programs many strong women and men have survived this horrendous responsibility of harboring the acceptance that their child was abducted.
As per the 2004 U.S. Congress findings, more than 203,000 children in the United States are abducted each year. (Approximately 78% of these children are abducted by a family member, usually a parent.)
Though new laws and ordinances are constantly in the making, it is not enough to insure the safety of our children. It is necessary to come face to face with this problem and learn what you can do NOW to prevent the possibility of child abduction. We can receive the gifts of knowledge learned from the unfortunate stories of others and provide safety from child abduction for our children.
What have we learned?
One heart-felt story, that we have used to gather important information on childhood abduction through the years, is the true story of Steven Gregory Stayner’s abduction, “I Know My First Name is Steven,” by author Mike Echols. In this story we learn about Steven as a seven year old boy who was abducted from Merced County, California in 1972 and then sexually abused for the next seven years until he was found at age 14. His story made a huge impact on the nation while it offered lessons and challenges for families and institutions.
What Steven’s story taught us, explains Echols, is that our children are vulnerable even when they come from a loving, caring family and that everyone must be prepared. Because of Echols seemingly genuine concern for the Stayners and his professional background in social work and counseling, author Mike Echols was given exclusive rights to the story of Steven Gregory Stayner.
Through Steven’s descriptions of what he endured and Echol’s intensive research and interviews with Steven, his family and the abductors, we have learned that the pedophile uses manipulative powers to control the child. As Steven tells his story, he helps us understand that many children, who are victims, do not come forward and why they have a tendency to believe people other than their parents. Echols concludes that we do not need to live in fear but we need to be cautious.
Unfortunately the sad fact is that, in most cases, nobody does anything until something terrible happens. Laws to fight child abduction are advocated and pushed through mostly by the families of victims. Megan’s Law was named after seven-year old Megan Kanka, who was raped and killed by a known child molester in 1994. Megan’s parents had gathered more than 430,000 signatures 89 days after her disappearance. New Jersey’s Megan’s Law was the first state law to mandate active community notification of registered sex offenders. Powerful advocates, including John Walsh, (show host of America’s Most Wanted, who’s son Adam was abducted and murdered), helped take it to a national level.
The federal version of Megan’s Law was enacted May 17, 1994 which now requires convicted sex offenders to register with a public database, in the town where they live within five days of their release from prison. A recent survey conducted by Parents For Megan’s Law, Inc., indicated that approximately 24% of the nation’s sex offenders are failing to comply with state registration requirements.
Mark Lunsford, father of seven year old Jessica Lunsford who was abducted and killed this year, took Megan’s Law a step further to ensure that child abductors, who are released from prison, are tracked for the rest of their lives. Thanks to her father’s courage and determination, The Jessica Lunsford Act was unanimously passed, by the Florida House and Senate, just one month after the body of his daughter was found, March 19, 2005.
The new act provides a minimum of 25 years in prison for those who prey on children under 12, and if they are released from prison, lifetime tracking by global positioning satellite.
“Another big problem, says Susan Howley from the National Center for Victims of Crimes, is the non-enforcement of domestic violence protective orders. In a recent poll conducted by our organization, we asked the nation to tell us what issues they are most concerned about. Non-enforcement of domestic violence protective orders was the number three concern in the nation.”
Howley’s organization is currently assisting Jessica Gonzales with a Supreme Court case that will ultimately determine whether law enforcement agencies should have more responsibility in regards to protective orders. Jessica Gonzales had obtained a protective order against her husband, Simon Gonzales, in 1999. Not long after Jessica obtained the protective order, her husband abducted their three daughters while they were playing outside her home. Jessica Gonzales contacted the police six times throughout the evening, but they failed to respond and her husband later killed the children.
Studies report that approximately 60% of protection orders are violated within one year of issuance and one-third of those violations involve severe violence. In order to combat the problem in their area, the Colorado Springs Police Department created a Domestic Violence Enhanced Response Team which tracks violations of protective orders and consistently arrests violators. The Orange County, Florida, Sheriff’s Department credits similar measures with a 38% reduction in the proportional rate of homicides related to domestic violence.
What Can We DO?
According to Andrew Meltzer, executive director the National Association for Child Abduction Prevention (N.A.C.A.P.), Ò Childhood abduction by a family member is one of the most damaging types of child abuse.” Meltzer sites that abduction by a family member is often misconceived as a domestic affair but in fact is inherently damaging to a child as they are often stripped away from everything and everyone they know. In a report, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, in 2002, over 117,000 children were estimated to have disappeared due to family related abductions and another 33,000 fell victim to acquaintance stranger or non-family abductions in general.
N.A.C.A.P. is the first organization of its kind to successfully integrate, synthesize and distribute advanced biometric, radio frequency and satellite technologies together in a comprehensive approach to preventing and finding missing children. “N.A.C.A.P. advocates the even one child lost to abduction is too many and that most child abduction cases are preventable with proper education and preparation.”
“The key to being safe is to be well prepared, says Meltzer. Many parents fall into the mental trap of believing there will be “adequate” time to gather pictures and medical records if their child ever becomes missing. When a child falls victim to abduction, especially a stranger abduction, the first few hours are most critical to survival. In fact, the F.B.I. claims that 72% of stranger abductions end in homicide if the child is not recovered in the first two to three hours. Therefore, it is essential to understand “time can be the worst enemy in a critical situation where a child’s life is at stake.”
The NACAP has developed three distinct Child Safety initiatives aimed at preventing childhood abduction.
Included are:
- Child abduction Prevention Education for parents, professionals and children (Onsite & web based)
- Comprehensive Child Identification Services including Child I.D. kits and cards (paper and digital formats), Portable Child I.D., Tracking and Storage devices, Safe Shoes Labeling System, Web-based and point of purchase CD ID kits, Professional Photography and Video for kits and cards, Ink/Inkless/Digital fingerprinting, DNA sampling
- Advanced Technology Products and Services featuring Development, Distribution and Education of Child Guard & Tracking Devices, Wireless Alarm Systems and Biometric Security Devices. The child safety initiatives are orchestrated and managed through the collective efforts of many devoted and hard-working volunteers that believe in the NACAP principles. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or would like information about these seminars, security and safety products please contact NACAP at 609 953-3330 or visit www.nacap.org
Preparation Tips:
- A: Have an updated digital photo of your child
- B: Video tape your child. (Use a digital video) Record child’s dialogue for a digital image and voice signature.)
