Remembering National Missing Children's Day

Pulse

oi-Anjana NS

By Anjana Ns

Wednesday, May 25, 2011, 18:07

May 25th is commemorated as the "National Missing Children's Day" and was first proclaimed in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan. The day was marked so after a series of high profile children went missing. The missing cases became very popular in the media and even made national headlines.

It was in 1979 when Etan Patz went missing on his way to school in New York and the day he dissappeared was called as National Missing Children's Day. The case received a lot of coverage when the kid's father distributed the black and photographs of Etan in an effort to spot him. That was the day people realised the problems faced in child abduction and lack of planning in such cases.

For nearly three years, the media shifted its focus from the national issues and had a close watch on missing cases which is when the 29 bodies of young children were recovered in lakes, ponds and marshes in and around Atlanta and Georgia. The suspect was however identified in 1981 and arrested.

Today, the United States Attorney Pamela C. Marsh with other leaders participated at the National Missing Children's Day press event and “Take 25" Child Safety Campaign in Tallahassee. The take 25 campaign is a national child safety public awareness created by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 2007. According to the campaign, the parents need to spend at least 25 minutes to talk to their children about safety, abduction and exploitation.