For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 23, 2003
National Missing Children's Day, 2003
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
On National Missing Children's Day, we join with families, law
enforcement officials, and child advocates to highlight our commitment
to stopping the abduction and exploitation of children. During this
year's observance, we celebrate the progress we have made in
safeguarding children, and we renew our dedication to protecting our
most vulnerable citizens and our most valuable resources.
The Department of Justice estimates that more than 50,000 children
will be victims of nonfamily abductions each year. While the rate of
recovery in such kidnappings is approximately 99 percent, the trauma of
abduction affects far too many. No young person in America should ever
know the terror of abduction, and no family should ever have to
experience the nightmare of having a loved one suddenly taken.
The safety and well-being of our children is a shared
responsibility for all Americans and for Federal, State, and local
authorities. My Administration is making the prevention and
investigation of child abductions a top priority. We are working to
use available resources to educate our citizens about how to prevent
child abductions. We are also creating new lines of communication
between authorities and the public to help find and safely return
missing children to their families. We will continue to vigorously
prosecute and severely punish those who would harm our children.
To further these efforts, in August 2002, my Administration
released a new guidebook, "Personal Safety for Children: A Guide for
Parents" to teach parents steps to improve their children's safety.
Since then, copies have been distributed to public and private schools
and public libraries throughout the country, in both English and
Spanish. In October 2002, I convened the first White House Conference
on Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children to promote public awareness
of the issues and to generate recommendations and best practices from
experts. And in December 2002, I signed legislation creating the Dot
Kids domain, a child-friendly zone on the Internet. The sites on this
domain are monitored for content and safety, offering parents peace of
mind knowing that their children can learn in a safe and healthy
environment.
Last month I signed the PROTECT Act, an important law that provides
valuable new ways to deter, investigate, prosecute, and punish crimes
against America's children. The PROTECT Act also builds on my
Administration's ongoing efforts to expand and improve the AMBER Alert
program, which has become an increasingly
important tool to help rescue kidnapped children by quickly getting
key information about the missing child and the suspect to the public.
This law formally establishes the Federal Government's role in the
AMBER Alert system and equips the Department of Justice to help State
and local officials develop, enhance, and coordinate AMBER plans across
America.
Our Nation has come to know the names and faces of far too many
children because they have been the victims of acts of cruelty and
violence. These crimes break our hearts and stir our anger. Our
Nation shares the joy of the parents who are reunited with their
children, and prays with those who are still hoping and waiting. We
grieve with every family that has suffered the loss of or injury to a
child. We will continue the fight against the threats that our
children face.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution
and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 25, 2003, as
National Missing Children's Day. I call upon Americans to join me in
commemorating this observance by celebrating those children who have
been returned to their loved ones, remembering those young people who
are missing, and continuing to work together on every front to protect
our children from those who would seek to harm them.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third
day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand three, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-seventh.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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