Whenever the evening news brings the story of a kidnapped child or teen, the terrifying prospect of abduction fills the minds of parents across the country. But it's important to remember that the majority of children will pass through childhood safely. One of the challenges of being a parent is to teach your children to be cautious without filling them with too much fear or anxiety.
Although some dangers do exist, there are steps that you can take to lessen the chances that your child will be abducted.
Approximately 2,100 missing-children reports are filed each day. All of these cases might be solved more easily if parents were able to provide a few key pieces of information about their children, like: height, weight, eye color, and a clear recent photo.
The Reality of Child Abductions The circumstances surrounding child abduction are often quite different from the way they are portrayed in TV shows and movies.
Here are some of the realities of child abduction:
- The majority of children who are reported missing have run away, or there has been a misunderstanding with their parents about where they were supposed to be.
- Of the kids and teens that are truly abducted, the majority of them are taken by a family member or an acquaintance; 25% of kids are taken by strangers.
- Almost all children kidnapped by strangers are taken by men, and about two thirds of stranger abductions involve female children.
- Most abducted children are in their teens.
- Children are rarely abducted from school grounds.
Strategies for Preventing Abductions: Parents often do not provide their children with safety information that could help prevent an abduction.
