Kidnapping has been a severe epidemic for centuries. I searched the web and found statistics as of 1999, so these figures are probably even more drastic today in 2012.
As of 1999
*Most abductions occur within a quarter mile from the child's home.
*32% of child abductions take place on the street or in a car. 25% take place in a park or a wooded area.
*Almost half of the children abducted are sexually abused.
*There is a 75% chance that once your child is kidnapped, they will be killed within 3 hours. This horrified me.
*More than 70% of children kidnapped are girls.
*According to www.lindenhurststrangerdanger.com, every 40 seconds a child is reported missing or abducted in the United States.
This is a tragedy...when i read this information it made me squeeze my children closer. Please do not assume that your child is okay because they are in the front/back yard. There was a news report this past year of a child being taken out of their own front yard...while their young sibling was right there. The person that stole the girl did not take the boy too.
Many times when a child is reported missing I hear the parents on TV saying "I just looked away for a second" or "he/she was right there". It only takes a second and to me that is the scariest thing ever. My heart cries for the parents who have to face every day wondering what happened to their baby, or waking up every day knowing the horrible things that were done to their baby by some monster.
Monster's are real, they are the people that prowl around looking for a child too close to the road or unsupervised. They take these children and most of them do horrible things to the child and then end up killing them. It is a woeful reality, the world can be a wonderful adventure for a child to embark on...but underneath the beauty of life, there is a menace lurking about that makes the world a very dangerous place for a child to live. As parents and human beings it is our jobs to protect the children...protect them from strangers, other human beings who were not wired right.
John Walsh was a parent of a beautiful boy who was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered. John started a nation wide program that helped America serve justice on those who did wrong and because of that show more than 1000 fugitives have been put to justice. During his crusade of service justice upon criminals, he never gave up searching for answers and justice for the death of his beloved son. He finally got that justice after decades of investigation. Can you imagine the sleepless nights, the memories, birthdays, hearing their child's voice when they are not there. I just want to cry for days for the pain parents of kidnapped children have to face, it is one of the worse pains I think a human being can ever feel...knowing their child is dead, and that someone hurt them while killing them. Just not knowing where your child is would be enough torture.
I know none of this information is news to anyone, but with so many children being abducted these days...I feel like some may need a reminder that the world is full of sick people lurking in plain sight. Please be more aware of your surroundings and do not take your eyes off your child, and if you do have to look away make sure you have a good grip on their hand. Also...have LONG talks with your children and tell them what could happen to them, make them understand the importance of staying close to you and not talking to strangers. My children are well aware of the dangers of strangers, they know that the further away they get from us...the greater the chances are that they could be snatched away.
Do not get me wrong..don't make your kids paranoid and do not become paranoid yourself...just be aware and make your children aware of the dangers that are out there, them being aware of who is around them could save their lives. Research safety tips to teach your children ways to get away from someone who may try to kidnap them. There was a news report and video footage on www.youtube.com of a girl in an elevator who fought off a man who tried to kidnap her. She fought him off and got away...she was a very luck girl.
Do not fear living...just keep your eyes open and always be aware. After reading how easy it is for someone to take my child, I will surely be more aware.
The more I learn about this the more I will post. I will share links to stories and video footage, I will post safety measures...anything I can to put the information out there for other parents to use in order to make sure their children are a little safer.
