Recovery and Reunification of Missing Children - Case Study Example

CASE STUDY Losing children in malls, parks, supermarkets or in other any public areas are becoming very common today. This happens especially when the children’s mothers or their care takers get caught up on what they are doing such as looking at clothes or trying the clothes on, picking up groceries, getting caught up in amusement park games or any other activity. It only takes a second for a child to get lost or for a person to kidnap a child. Missing children are classified into three categories: abducted, runaways and thrownaway children (“Recovery and Reunification of Missing Children: A Team Approach”). Just in the United States alone, based from the national statistics of 1995, there was an estimated 438,200 children who got lost, injured, or otherwise missing. At any time a child is reported missing, there is not enough evidence to determine whether he or she is the victim of foul play or just inadvertently or unavoidably detained. For a situation in which a child who is found after wandering away from his or her parents in a shopping mall, a park, or amusement park would be considered a missing child. In some cases where a child is injured and cannot immediately obtain help, that child is considered missing until parents and/or authorities will be notified of the child’s whereabouts. In cases where a child makes an unscheduled stop at a video arcade or friend’s house, once found the child is considered to have been missing under otherwise unknown circumstances (“Statistics 25 Years: 1984 – 2009”). Half of the children involved are younger than 4 years of age. Most of these cases last about 24 hours, one fifth experience physical harm, and 14 percent of the children are either abused or assaulted during the episode (“Statistics 25 Years: 1984 – 2009”).. At least 797,500 children who are younger than 18 was reported missing in a one-year period of time studied resulting in an average of 2,185 children being reported missing each day (“Statistics 25 Years: 1984 – 2009”). In situations where your child wanders off and a stranger comes up to them, inform them ahead of time that some strangers are friends. They may be nice, that is true, but this isn’t always the case. Unfortunately you can never tell just by looking at them but you may be able to tell if the situation seems to make you feel good or bad. Usually, when a child goes missing, they meet strangers not only telling them that they would help them find their way back to their parents but also asking them to do something without his or her parents’ permission and supervision or to go somewhere alone with an adult stranger. This means that a dangerous situation may occur (“Child Safety”). When something like this happens that your child suddenly runs off and a stranger approaches them, at any time they will feel uncomfortable or scared. It is their instincts kicking in and they may be in a potentially dangerous situation. Parents and caregivers might feel helpless in this situation but you can teach them what to do if they feel threatened in any way. As a parent or guardian, you may explain what a stranger is. They don’t look like monsters or aliens but they look like ordinary people. Teach your children to say no, run away and to yell as loud as they can. In a public area, this will attract attention to the predator and this will hinder him from abducting your child. Tell children to watch out on people especially adults that would ask directions from them. Also, an adult that asks them to keep a “special secret” and an adult that goes to them in a car is a bad signal (“Child Safety”). Now as a guardian or parent, know where your children are at all times. Make it a rule that they should ask permission from you always and let you know where they are going and what will they be doing. Teach your children safe places to run too in case of trouble. Stroll around the mall, your neighborhood, and parks with your child then point out safe places to play, roads to take and where to go and who to go to if danger is near (Child Safety). Teach your children to never ignore their instinct. If they feel scared or anxious at anytime with a stranger, tell them to run away and look for help (“Child Safety”). In my observations, in every place that I have been to, there are always a couple of children ages of 3 to 6 years old running around. You can hear them crying out for their mothers. In these incidents, the natural response of a person, especially mothers and women, will be to go to the child and try to comfort them while looking out for a person that may be their mother or nanny. This happened in two occasions that I have observed: one in a supermarket and the other in a department store. Whatever the reason is, may it be due to the lack of attention from their parents or their guardians, it is the adult’s responsibility to look after their kids. At times, it is only a quick glance in another direction and then when you look back, the child has gone running or hiding somewhere. All it takes is a second of inattention. Knowing that children love playing, running and exploring new places, they can eventually get lost if left on their own. Children will go on their own, playing make believe, trusting that their care takers are right there beside them. In another observation I made, there were some caregivers that took good care of the child. They held their hands most of the time. If the child ran, they would chase them to catch up. They took very good care of the children. The mother’s and caregivers went with the children to the bathroom when they had to relieve themselves. When the mother’s wanted to try on clothes in the department store, they would bring their children with them inside the dressing room. If ever the mothers have a young child with her, I observed in another situation that she brought a sister, cousin or a close friend with her to help her take care of the child. What they could have done better is to try not to let go of the child’s hand and to look after them very well. Once they feel that freedom, they will run and think it is just a game and the mother or caregiver would need to run to them and scold them for running. Any mother or caregiver should do whatever it takes to prevent a child from being lost or abducted. You need to keep an eye on them at all times to avoid any mishaps. One tip that mothers and caregivers can implement if ever their child goes missing and they want to find them faster, is to tell them to look for a uniformed security guard, policeman or an employee and not any stranger at the time he or she gets separated from their supervisors. Give your children instructions on what to say or give them an information card that has all of your contact details, their names and your names as well. Make it clear to them not to follow or ask a stranger for help. Tell them never to shout for help or call out mommy and daddy. This might call out unneeded attention of kidnappers. Second, when you do go out, dress your child in bright bold colors. By doing this, it will make it easier for you to spot them in a crowd area. Third, give your child a cell phone or any communication device so that you will be able to call them and that most importantly they would be able to call you. Fourth tip is to designate a meeting spot in case this situation arises. You may tell the children that if ever he or she wanders off, tell them to go straight to the toy section and immediately find an employee to help them. Another tip is to always stay together at all times. Keep a firm grip on your child’s hand to prevent them from slipping away. A stroller or carrier is best for these situations especially for younger children. One very important tip for the caregiver and mother is not to panic, to stay collected and focused at all times. Becoming frantic will not help anyone. Get help as soon as you’ve done everything you can to find your child. Get security guards to help you. This will make it easier to find them. Works Cited “Recovery and Reunification of Missing Children: A Team Approach”. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. March 1995. 17 November 2009 http://207.58.181.246/pdf_files/library/Recovery%20and%20reunification.pdf “Statistics 25 Years: 1984 – 2009”. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. 17 November 2009 http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2810#1 “Child Safety”. MissingChildren.com. 17 November 2009 http://www.missingchildren.com/child_safety.htm Read More