Recognizing National Missing Children's Day

Floor Speech

Mr. TONKO. I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 297, which recognizes May 25, 2009, as the 27th National Missing Children's Day, and urges everyone to do what they can to prevent the tragedy of a missing child.

In the late 1970s, a succession of high-profile missing children cases helped heighten the awareness and underline the seriousness of child victimization. When Etan Patz went missing on his way to school in 1979, the first major national media campaign surrounding a missing child took place. The considerable media attention and comprehensive search helped highlight the problem of child abduction nationwide.

Etan's case and others helped expose a flaw in the system. At that time, there was no national response system in place to coordinate State and local cooperation or a central mechanism to support searching families. In 1983, May 25 was proclaimed National Missing Children's Day, and a nationwide movement was born. May 25 was chosen because it is the anniversary of Etan's disappearance.

More than 2,000 children are reported missing every day, but strides have been made to change this disturbing statistic. Programs such as the AMBER Alert program, which notifies law enforcement officials and the public of child abduction cases, have done a lot to help return missing children to their families. To date, 443 children have been recovered because of the AMBER Alert program. Each May, we reflect on missing children, and we renew our efforts to reunite those young people with their families.

National Missing Children's Day is an opportunity to remind families of the importance of maintaining up-to-date photographs of their children and to encourage everyone to give their full attention to the photographs and posters of missing children. Anyone can be a hero and offer the tip that helps return children to their families. Protecting young people is one of our Nation's top priorities.

On May 25, Madam Speaker, we will pause to remember the children whose lives have been lost. We will celebrate those who have been reunited with their families, and we will renew our effort to continue searching for children who continue to be missing.

Madam Speaker, once again, I express my support for National Missing Children's Day, and I thank Representative Biggert for bringing this resolution to the floor. I do urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.

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