Children under the age of 6 are most frequently targeted for family abductions and these often occur in the midst of bitter divorce or child custody battles between parents. Family abduction is typically committed by parents and it involves a significantly higher proportion of female perpetrators when compared to other kidnapping offenses. Family Abductionįamily kidnappings make up half of all reported abductions in the United States. Over 800 children have been rescued because of AMBER alerts and these messages have proved to be a highly effective tool in finding missing children and protecting children from abduction. AMBER stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response and was created to honor Amber Hagerman, a nine-year-old girl who was kidnapped and murdered in Arlington, Texas. The AMBER Alert system represents a partnership between broadcasters, cell service providers, state transportation services and local police in which warning messages are quickly and widely disseminated in order to help find abducted children.
The following are some of the key issues surrounding missing and abducted children. While most reports of missing or abducted children are resolved within hours, many involve situations where a child goes missing permanently or for an extended period of time. estimates that between 85 and 90 percent of these are children. Approximately 840,000 children are reported missing each year and the F.B.I.
Every 40 seconds, a child goes missing or is abducted in the United States.