Take 25 Formation
National Child Safety Campaign is Launched to Mark 25th National Missing Children’s Day
Children’s Actions Enable them to Escape in More than 50 Percent of Attempted Abductions
Alexandria, VA - May 1, 2007 - A new national child safety campaign was launched today by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The new campaign, “Take 25,” encourages families to take 25 minutes to talk with their children about safety and abduction prevention. A new website, www.Take25.org, has been established for the campaign that provides twenty-five safety tips and other information for parents, guardians, educators, and the public.
Every year in America an estimated 800,000 children are reported missing, more than 2,000 children each day. Of that number, 200,000 are abducted by family members, and 58,000 are abducted by non-family members, the primary motive for which is sexual. Each year 115 children are the victims of the most serious abductions and are taken by non-family members and either murdered, ransomed or taken with the intent to keep. An analysis of attempted abduction cases by NCMEC found that in 56% of the cases, the child escaped would-be abductors by yelling, kicking, pulling away, running away or attracting attention.
May 25 has been observed as National Missing Children’s Day since it was first proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. This year will be the 25th National Missing Children’s Day. The new “Take 25” campaign will help parents and others teach children to be alert to potential threats and provide simple preventive steps that children can take to stay safe.
“We know that teaching children about safety works. It is important that parents and others take the time to talk to their children about these issues. The new campaign is designed to provide information to make it easy for parents and others to teach their children about safety,” said Ernie Allen, President and CEO of NCMEC. “There is no better way to mark the 25th Missing Children’s Day than to launch an initiative designed to empower children and help keep them safe.”
More than 100 local and national organizations and more than 100 US cities throughout the country have partnered with NCMEC on the new safety campaign. It is a major grassroots initiative that will include thousands of events in communities all across America throughout the month of May.