Have You Seen This Kid?
“Locked in a hotel room with an abusive man for more than three months, Jessyca Mullenberg actually forgot who she was.”
Being kidnapped is no joke. Not being able to escape or do anything makes you feel useless. This kind of traumatic experiences leave an everlasting impact on an individual. Disastrous situations can change an individual, and mold them into a whole new person. A devastating event such as a kidnapping impacts an individual in many ways. Nowadays, the percentage of child abduction has increased in a linear function. But unfortunately, local law enforcement officers can not effectively pursue kidnappers across state lines. Since the Congress believed they could do a much more effective job of dealing with kidnappings than state, county, and local authorities could.
In 1996, the United States created the Amber Alert, which is a child abduction alert system. This was named after Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old abducted and murdered in Arlington, Texas, in 1996. Today, the AMBER Alert system is being used in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Indian country, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 22 other countries. Ever since 1996 up until February 2017, a total of 868 children have been successfully recovered through the AMBER Alert system.
In 1983, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25th as National Missing Children's Day. Each year, the Department of Justice commemorates the day with a ceremony honoring efforts of agencies and individuals that protect children. There are different awards for the day. Awards consist of Missing Children’s Law Enforcement, Protection Award, etc. With the annual theme of bringing missing children home, fifth graders participate each year in Missing Children’s Day poster contest. The annual contest that is held help children discuss the issue of missing children with youths and parents to promote child safety. Other companies or brands try to bring awareness to this day out by making products such as t-shirts, stamps, accessories, etc. For example, in May 2015, the United States Postal Service (USPS) created a stamp that was called “Forget-me-not” and “Help Find Missing Children.” The general welfare of our children should not be slept on. It is crucial to keep this country and the next one safe and sound and kidnapping free.
Katerine Chung Chen