Want to be alerted when a child is abducted? I encourage you to sign up for free via wireless Internet. It is easy, all you have to do is text the word AMBER followed by a space and your 5-digit zipcode to 26237.

If you don’t feel comfortable texting, you can always sign up on-line.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited children, the first three hours a child is abducted are the most critical to recovery efforts. This is a fantastic initiative to reach 200 million wireless subscribers. About 200-250 Amber Alerts are activated each year, and more than 400 children have been safely recovered because of the program.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, people who have legitimate access to children are some of the same individuals who are producing child pornography. It is a federal crime to have child porn in your possession. The Cyber Tipline was created to report these types of crimes against children. You can call the tip center with information on people who manufacture, distribute or have child pornography in their possession or if you receive images in your e-mail.

If you know of children who are being recruited for these disgusting acts, please report that to the tip line as well.

It is also a federal crime to send obscene material to any child under the age of 16. Take a look at the helpful information under the Cyber Tipline to understand more about protecting the youth.

You can “like” the page here and Facebook says they are contributing 50 million advertising impressions to promote this important program.  There are currently 53 Amber Alert Pages set up, one for each of the 50 states, along with pages for D.C., Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.  You can sign up for the alerts in states that interest you, and share the alerts with family and friends. 

This is a more formalized approach to getting accurate information about Amber Alerts out through social networking.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children more than 800,000 children go missing every year. It seems like we can’t have enough eyes on the youth of our nation. There is a new 21st century way of getting their pictures out to the public, and it’s not on a milk carton anymore. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has created a way to add a Google Gadget to your Google homepage. It displays a new missing child every time you visit the Google site.

It’s easy to do, just follow these simple instructions:

To add this Gadget to your personal Web page, copy and paste the script below into the html code on your Web page. Just edit the “state=VA” part of the code to display the state of your choice.

<script src=”http://gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://hosting.gmodules.com/ig/gadgets
/file/110425332155132166639/ncmec.xml”&”amp;up_missing_state=VA”&”amp;
up_num_entries=5″&”amp;synd=open”&”amp;w=300″&”amp;h=210″&”amp;
title=Missing+Children”&”amp;border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+
%23999999″&”amp;output=js”></script>

The FBI’s Innocence Lost Initiative and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children had a busy weekend rescuing children and taking down predators who were pimping kids out for money.  Operation Cross Country V was a successful three day sweep saving 69 children who were victims and arresting 99 alleged predator pimps.  According to a press release by the FBI, 885 others were arrested on state and local charges as well.  In this sting the youngest child rescued was 12 and the oldest 17.  I had the opportunity to meet with members of this specific team and the work they do for the children is stellar.  The agents hearts and souls are in it for serving justice.  

The FBI filters the operation in through local communities, working directly with local police agencies.  The teams target places like casinos, truck stops and Internet websites to find suspects and victims.  In Montgomery County, Maryland, members of their vice team said they targeted the Erotic Review website and identified key members of the groups.  Investigators say this site is a place where members openly confess to illegal activities.  Arrests made within those areas usually lead to more information and take downs of larger scale rings. Information is gathered to build cases and lead agents to the doorsteps of predators.  Since its inception in 2003, with 39 task forces in place, there have been more than 1,200 successful recoveries and more than 625 convictions.  More than $3.1 million in assets has been seized.

BACKGROUND: The Innocence Lost initiative specifically works to take down predators who are exploiting and pimping out children for money. The goal is not only to take down the bad guy during undercover sting operations, but more importantly to safely take the children out of the environment. According to the FBI, there is a nationwide domestic child prostitution problem in which young girls are losing their innocence and held captive in a horrific lifestyle. The misconception by some is that this form of child prostitution only occurs overseas, but in reality, if there is adult prostitution in a community, there is probably child prostitution going on as well. This project began in June 2003 in conjunction with the Department of Justice Child Exploitation & Obscenity Section and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  Since then the FBI has established task forces, shared intelligence and trained hundreds of personnel on the sexual exploitation of children.   

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s President Ernie Allen said, “The leadership of the FBI and the Justice Department in attacking domestic child trafficking and prostitution is historic. Once again, Operation Cross Country has awakened the nation to the fact that today, American children are being marketed and sold for sex in American cities. These kids are victims. This is 21st century slavery. We are proud to be a part of this extraordinary partnership to rescue children, save lives, and bring the pimps and operators to justice.”

More than 175 separate agencies assisted in this cross country effort.

1 in 7 kids are solicited for sex online. This alarming statistic was recently released from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The survey says 1 in 33 kids receive aggressive online solicitations to meet in person and 34% of kids say they’ve had communication with people they don’t know. NCMEC maintains a proactive approach to protect children and teens and now they have two brand new items for children between the ages of 8 and 12. The NSTeen site now has animated video and educational games for children in this age range. “Cyberbully Zombies Attack” and “Mike-tosis” both target information about technology, safety and cyber bullying prevention. Although these sites are for “tweens,” parents and teachers are encouraged to log on and educate themselves on the dangers lurking online for kids. The content is available in English and in Spanish. NSTeen is an entity of the main hub of NetSmartz.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says its CyberTipline has handled more than 903,240 calls of child sexual exploitation. According to a press release on their site, the Child Victim Identification Program has reviewed and analyzed more than 34 million pornographic images.

By: Michelle Sigona

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says 94% of all children between the ages of four and twelve participate in Halloween activities each year.  Recently they teamed up with “The Mentalist” actor Tim Kang to release the top 10 safety tips. 

This list of safety tips came directly from NCMEC’s recent release on Halloween safety: 

• • CHOOSE bright, flame-retardant costumes or add reflective tape to costumes and candy bags so children are easily seen in the dark.  In addition, carry a glow stick or flashlight. 

• PLAN a trick-or-treating route in familiar neighborhoods with well-lit streets.  Avoid unfamiliar neighborhoods, streets that are isolated, or homes that are poorly lit inside or outside. 

• NEVER send young children out alone.  They should always be accompanied by a parent or another trusted adult.  Older children should always travel in groups.

• ALWAYS walk younger children to the door to receive treats and don’t let children enter a home unless you are with them.

• BE SURE children do not approach any vehicle, occupied or not, unless you are with them.

• DISCUSS basic pedestrian safety rules that children should use when walking to and from houses.

• CONSIDER organizing a home or community party as an alternative to “trick-or-treating.”

• MAKE sure children know their home phone number and address in case you get separated.  Teach children how to call 911 in an emergency.

• TEACH children to say “NO!” or “this is not my mother/father” in a loud voice if someone tries to get them to go somewhere, accept anything other than a treat, or leave with them.  And teach them that they should make every effort to get away by kicking, screaming and resisting.

• REMIND children to remain alert and report suspicious incidents to parents and/or law enforcement.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, people who have legitimate access to children are some of the same individuals who are producing child pornography. It is a federal crime to have child porn in your possession. The Cyber Tipline was created to report these types of crimes against children. You can call the tip center with information on people who manufacture, distribute or have child pornography in their possession. If you know of children who are being recruited for these disgusting acts, please report that to the tip line as well. It is also a federal crime to send obscene material to any child under the age of 16. Take a look at the helpful information under the Cyber Tipline to understand more about protecting the youth.

There are still many communities across America where children are leaving their houses by themselves and walking home because the neighborhoods are deemed “safe.”  NCMEC says children may not “look before they leap,” which is why they put out a safety tip publication.  The publication is a source of safety tips for parents.

These tips came directly from NCMEC’s website:

1. Instruct your children to always TAKE A FRIEND, always stay in well-lit areas, never take shortcuts, and never go into isolated areas. Teach them to stay aware of their surroundings and observe all traffic rules in place to more safely share the roads and sidewalks with others. 

2. WALK THE ROUTE to and from school with your children pointing out landmarks and safe places to go if they’re being followed or need help. Make the walk to and from school a “teachable moment” and chance to put their skills to the test. Make a map with your children showing acceptable routes to and from school. If your children wait for a bus, wait with them or make arrangements for supervision at the bus stop.            

3. If anyone bothers your children or makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused, while going to or from school, teach your children to trust their feelings, immediately get away from that person, and TELL you or another trusted adult. If an adult approaches your children for help or directions, remember grownups needing help should not ask children; they should ask other adults. Instruct your children to NEVER approach a vehicle or accept money or gifts from anyone unless you have told them it is OK to accept in each instance.

4. Even though there may be safety in numbers it is still not safe for young children to walk to and from school, especially if they must take isolated routes anytime during the day or in darkness. ALWAYS provide supervision for your young children to help ensure their safe arrival to and from school.

5. Instruct your children to leave items and clothing with their name on them at home. If anyone calls out their name, teach them to not be fooled or confused. Teach your children about the TRICKS someone may try to use to confuse them or engage them in conversation. Children should also be taught that they do not need to be polite if approached and to get out of the situation as quickly and safely as possible.

6. Ensure current and accurate emergency contact information is on file for your children at their school. If you, or another trusted family member or friend, need to pick up your children, make sure to follow the school’s departure procedures. These procedures need to include the school’s confirmation of your children’s departure with only those you authorize to pick them up.

Want to be alerted when a child is abducted? I encourage you to sign up for free via wireless Internet. It is easy, all you have to do is text the word AMBER followed by a space and your 5-digit zipcode to 26237.

If you don’t feel comfortable texting, you can always sign up on-line.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited children, the first three hours a child is abducted are the most critical to recovery efforts. This is a fantastic initiative to reach 200 million wireless subscribers. About 200-250 Amber Alerts are activated each year, and more than 400 children have been safely recovered because of the program.