Missing Children - How Can We Stop This Crime?

Shawn Hornbeck was recovered last week after being missing for four years. Like most, I was amazed and delighted that this child was reunited with his family. My emotions ran a gambit and teethered between delight, anger and even a little bit overwhelmed. At the same time, Shaun was only one hour from his family home which really adds to the perplexity of the case - Hiding in plain sight!.

In today's society so many of our children go missing and are never recovered. The parents, family and friends of these children must live with this for the rest of their lives. Never getting a moment's peace, constantly questioning if their loved ones are dead or alive. Some even hoping and praying that they are dead rather than being held captive by a sexual predator.

With the recovery of Shawn I wonder if this may raise the hopes of so many other parents and families who have lost a child to perverted predators. How must they feel? Will they ever find a happy ending like this fortunate family? Of course, we all know that the chances of finding a missing child are very slim. However, parents and loved ones must always live in hope.

Hiding in plain sight. That boy was only an hour away from his beloved family and held captive for four years. It makes you wonder why nobody saw or recognized him. Do we as a society really care? Do we look out for signs or are we completely uneasy to intefere in other peoples lives? Can you imagine if your child was missing how you would feel? Could you even vocalize it?

Shows like America's most wanted, billboards and hundreds of missing children websites and so few of these children are recovered. This opens a can-of-worms in every direction. Should we be wary when a friend or relative takes in a fosterchild? Do we need to call Child Services to see if it is legit? Are we willing to step forward to protect our children? Will it help? Hundreds of questions, thousands of missing children in the US alone.

As parents or part of a community we all have guidelines in place about sleepovers, not talking to strangers and so on. However, do we really have the knowledge and initiatives in place when our own child or one of the children in the community go missing? Does your own community have something in place? Perhaps a template of what to do when a child goes missing. This broadens into further questioning. Does law enforcement cooperate with non-profit organizations?

I think that it is all of our duties as parents, community members, legal representatives, law enforcement agencies and our Government to form a template which communities can adhere to in the case of a child going missing. At present it seems that there is a "headless chicken" aura about the safety of our children. I really believe that police do their uttmost in trying to solve any crime however I also believe that if the community has some form of template to work with it would enable more people to be involved from the outset.

Finally, if this case moved you in any way then perhaps it is time for you to do something locally about it. You could contact your local police, set up a community helpdesk, bring in Childcare Services and devise a plan for your own area. Far too many children go missing and are never found alive. To a family who has lost a child to abduction it would be a great comfort to know the final outcome, no matter how hard. The family could then mourn the loss of their loved one and try to come to terms with living out the rest of their lives in the knowledge that they can visit their child, even if it is in a grave.