Officials stress toy safety:

By TIFFANY REPECKI - Cape Coral Daily Breeze
      
As local children begin breaking in their new bicycles, scooters and skateboards from Christmas, the Cape Coral Fire Department reminds drivers and parents about one important element - safety.

With a spike in bicycle-versus-vehicle crashes in the Cape in 2013, motorists are urged to pay special attention to children out on their new toys, while parents should go over safety with the youth.

"The biggest concern that we see regarding bicycle safety is the fact that we have year-round weather," Michael Heeder, spokesman for the fire department, said. "Conditions that allow children to get out and ride their bikes all the time."

"We want to remind drivers, especially, that you always have to be cognizant of pedestrians and bicyclists," he said.

Many of this year's accidents involved bicyclists veering into the road or not crossing at a proper spot, like a crosswalk. They should use crosswalks and be aware that they are sharing the road with vehicles.

"A lot of smaller children are not going to be aware of approaching vehicles," Heeder noted.

Fact Box

Know Bicycle hand signals

Bicyclists have special hand signals to tell motorists or other riders what they are about to do, just like vehicles have turn signal lights and brake lights.

* An extended left arm means the rider is turning left.

* A raised left hand means a right turn.

* An extended left arm with the forearm pointing downward means they are about to stop.

Source: Cape Coral Fire Department

Motorists who find themselves sharing the road with a bicyclist should slow down and swing wide, allowing for at least 3 feet or 4 feet of clearance. Avoid honking at a cyclist, and always yield to them.

Drivers should check over their shoulder before moving back into a lane to ensure there is space.

As for parents, adults should know the rules of the road and children should be reminded.

Heeder explained that wearing a helmet is the No. 1 safety rule.

"If everyone would take the time to wear a helmet, that would reduce the severity of head trauma in a multitude of ways," he said.

More than 300,000 children reportedly go to the emergency room for bicycle-related injuries each year nationwide.

The helmet must fit correctly, not too snug nor too loose. The straps also must fit snugly not tightly - just enough to keep the helmet securely in place, according to Heeder.

"The same rules apply for scooters as they do for bicycles," he said, adding that skateboarders are viewed as pedestrians. "Make sure they're wearing the proper protective equipment."

Florida law states that a bicyclist who is under 16 years of age must wear a bicycle helmet that is properly fitted, is fastened securely upon their head by a strap and meets the federal safety standard for helmets. Violators can be issued a warning, or even assessed a $15 fine for a pedestrian violation.

Heeder also suggested using the proper reflectors and lighting on bicycles.

"Make sure that you're very visible to others around you and you can see in front of you," he said.

Parents should regularly do a safety check on their child's bicycle.

"Bicycles are just like any other vehicle. They need to be maintained and inspected," Heeder said.

Check the bike every few weeks for height and adjust if necessary. Feet need to be flat on the ground when standing and straddling the top bar of the bicycle. There should be 1 inch to 3 inches of space between the child's body and the top bar of the bike.

"For children, you need to make sure the bike is at the right height," he said.

Check the oil and chain, as well as the tires and brakes, to see that they are working correctly.

Parents should direct children to keep their gaze ahead to anticipate any obstacles or road hazards coming their way. Be careful with driveways and vehicles coming out of garages. Children should be taught to ride on the right side of the street and walk their bikes when crossing busy intersections.

"Use crosswalks and follow traffic signals, like any other vehicle," Heeder said.

http://www.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com/page/content.detail/id/537800/Officials--stress-toy-safety.html?nav=5011

Polly Klaas Foundation Video:

The Polly Klaas® Foundation is Dedicated to the Safety of All Children

The Polly Klaas® Foundation is a national nonprofit dedicated to the safety of all children, the recovery of missing children, and public policies that keep children safe in their communities.

We have helped more than 7,691 families of missing children, counseling them on ways to find their children and work with law enforcement. We make and distribute posters of missing children for these families, and have a national eVolunteer force that distributes posters of missing children in their communities. Our hotline has been answered 24/7 since 1993.

We publish and distribute child safety information to people around the world. Our free Child Safety Kit and Internet Safety Kit can be ordered or downloaded online.

The Polly Klaas Foundation is the recipient of the Missing Child Non-Profit of the Year Award for 2011

Awarded by the US Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Trinity Mount Family Website:

Join Trinity Mount Family on Twitter:

India faces epidemic of missing children:

About 60,000 children go missing every year in populous nation, and child activists say many end up in sex trade.

A staple storyline of popular Bollywood films over the years has been about siblings getting lost in a village fair or being forcibly separated by a hideous villain, only to be reunited years later. The happy endings normally spelled success: moviegoers went home happy while the filmmaker went laughing all the way to the bank.

But reel life has little resemblance to reality, and happy endings are not as common for those who go missing in India as they are on celluloid.

Official statistic shows that some 60,000 children go missing every year from across the populous nation. Though some are finally traced, many are never found.

According to Jitendra Singh, the federal minister of state for home affairs, about 22,000 of these missing children vanished without a trace in 2011.

The figures are startling and symptomatic of a scourge that's long gone unnoticed, until the findings of a commission instituted by the government in the wake of the notorious Delhi gang-rape of a young girl in December brought out the hidden dangers that stalk India's children.

The Justice Verma commission report served to jolt the nation, as it found that a child goes missing in India every eight minutes, on average.

"Children in this country are no more safe. I get worried till my daughters reach home safely after their school and tuitions," Nagurajun R, a father of two teenage girls from Hyderabad who works in the IT industry, told Al Jazeera.

For one, it's easy to get lost in a nation as crowded as India. Seven-year-old Ramu lost his way while travelling on a train with his family from Maharashtra to Uttar Pradesh. Luckily for him, he was picked up by the police, who with the help of child activists tracked down his address a fortnight later and handed him back to his distraught parents.

But similar luck mostly eludes those who fall prey to sinister designs and go missing.

Willful crime by parents

There were a total of 33,098 crimes reported against children in 2011, of which 15,284 were kidnapping cases.

Child activists blame the missing children phenomenon on a number of reasons, from organised traffickers to families eager to dump their daughters, whom they see as a liability.

"This act of willful crime by parents often goes unreported or unregistered with the police," Nishit Kumar, an activist with Childline - a 24-hour helpline for children in distress - told Al Jazeera.

"Even though this is an unfortunate trend, I feel the primary reason for this is the lack of attention paid by parents - either poor, or single, or broken families," said Suma M, an assistant professor of computer science from Bengaluru who is concerned about her young daughter's safety.

That doesn't mean that only children from poor families go missing, though. "Children from well-to-do families become victims of circumstances - here too, lack of attention towards them being the prime reason," said Suma.

Activists like Kumar also speak of the "Kumbh Mela syndrome" - the Hindu religious congregation that draws millions of pilgrims to the city of Allahabad on the banks of the river Ganga once every 12 years - where fathers deliberately lose their daughters in the crowd. That getting rid of the girl child is not a pious act is hardly a deterrent.

But kidnappings account for most of the missing. According to a report issued by the social statistics division of the Indian government, there were a total of 33,098 crimes reported against children in 2011, of which 15,284 were kidnapping cases. The kidnappers may send the children to other countries, hold them for ransom, or force them to beg.

Shockingly, the report also noted 3,517 incidents of child trafficking - which includes the buying and selling of girls for prostitution, child marriage, and trafficking children for the illegal transplantation of organs - in 2011.

Addicted to street life

India has the largest number of child labourers under the age of 14 in the world. Even though law prohibits children below the age of 14 from working, as many as 12.66 million children work as labourers.

"Very often we find kidnapped children are forced to work as cheap labour in factories, shops and homes. They get exploited as sex slaves or are pushed into the child porn industry," NDTV reported Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat as saying.

India is well-connected by the train network, which comes in handy for children who run away from homes - as well as for the abductors who kidnap them.

It gets difficult for police or activists to trace the children, as many parents fail to give recent photographs of their lost children.

And in most cases, when child rights activists or volunteers find children on streets, they find it difficult to rehabilitate them. "They are addicted to the street life," Kumar notes. "It's the complete anonymity which draws kids to the streets. They enjoy complete freedom … they are not bothered by elders, they are not forced to study," Kumar told Al Jazeera.

Other child rights volunteers agree: "If we can't take a child off the street within the first month of finding him, it's difficult to rehabilitate him later, as he gets addicted to street life. He is not at all interested to study, or to get rehabilitated."

Inadequate law

One of the main reasons for the increasing number of missing children and kidnappings is "inadequate law on missing children in the country", say experts.

Police in many states are often reluctant to register first information reports for missing children, which means no formal case is even filed. Their insensitivity could be because they are over-worked and ill-equipped and tracking down missing children are not their priority.

Suma, the computer science professor, says the government should "set up special police stations that register 'only child-missing complaints' and see to it that such cases are taken to a logical end".

But some states, such as Delhi, have implemented strict laws after serial killings in Noida, Uttar Pradesh in 2006 that claimed the lives of 17 children. For instance, after 24 hours, if a missing child is not found, police in Delhi are required to file a case of kidnapping.

The police in some regions have also begun a database for missing children, but forensic experts say a DNA databank needs to be established to help identify missing children.

Professor Jose A Lorente, a forensic geneticist at the University of Granada known for identifying the remains of Christopher Columbus and South American liberator Simon Bolivar, says that in a big country like India where so many children go missing, "DNA can play a unique, positive role". A DNA databank can also help "to avoid stolen, kidnapped children to be sold for illegal adoptions", Lorente told Al Jazeera.

One potential model could be Guatemala. In 2010, the impoverished Central American country passed the Alba-Keneth Law, requiring the government to create a DNA databank of missing children and giving the relatives of missing children the right to have their DNA analysed.

Missing child alert system could curb sex trafficking:

Red Dirt Ruckus

This came out of the state House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon:

Legislation approved unanimously today by the Oklahoma House of Representatives would aid in the recovery of missing children and could help with law enforcement efforts to curb sex trafficking, according to the bill’s author.

House Bill 2227, by state Rep. Joe Dorman, would create a statewide runaway child alert system to be activated on behalf of a missing or runaway child. The legislation was approved by a vote of 94-0 and now advances to the state Senate, where it is being sponsored by state Sen. Mike Schulz (R-Altus).

“Although we have an Amber Alert system, that system has many restrictions and does not address some instances when a child has gone missing,” said Dorman, D-Rush Springs. “According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, we see over 800,000 kids annually reported missing nationwide, with about 200,000 of those proven to be abductions by a family member and almost 58,000 abductions done by a person with no relation to the child. This legislation will help with efforts to further curb sex trafficking and to locate missing children who are not covered by the existing Amber Alert system.”

State Rep. Harold Wright, a co-author, offered a successful amendment to the legislation, renaming it after JaRay Wilson, a missing teenage girl who police believe was the victim of human trafficking. The legislation will now be known as the JaRay Wilson Runaway Child Alert System Act.

“I am a proud supporter of this legislation which would address missing and runaway children who currently fall through the cracks,” said Wright, R-Weatherford. “JaRay Wilson is a good example of the type of case this bill would address and I was pleased to be able to offer the amendment.”

The legislation specifies that the system would be used when a law enforcement entity receives notice of a missing or runaway child age 17 or younger and verifies the accuracy of the report. The bill encourages family members provide a photograph of the child, if one is available, and that runaway child alerts be reported to the national crime information center immediately. Alerts would be terminated as soon as the child is located or after the notification period ends, as determined by rules promulgated by the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety.

Trinity Mount Family Website:

Join Trinity Mount Family on Twitter:

Islanders vs. Rangers game to raise awareness for missing kids:

Published: March 7, 2013 9:03 AM
Long Island native Katie Beers will be at the game. (March 7, 2013 8:51 AM)

UNIONDALE - Fans going to tonight's hockey game in Uniondale will help raise awareness for missing kids across the country.

Officials say $2 from each ticket to tonight's Islanders, Rangers game will go to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Long Island native Katie Beers, who was abducted and held captive 20 years ago in Bay Shore, will be on hand.

Beers will be joined by John Walsh, the co-founder of the missing children's group.

Two Missing Kids Found Dead In Lagos - Family - Nairaland:

Ketu area of Lagos State was thrown into confusion after the shocking discovery of the corpses of two toddlers, Toheeb Adedokun and Tajudeen Falilu, who disappeared in January. PUNCH Metro had reported exclusively on January 30, 2013, that the missing children were suspected to have been kidnapped when all efforts to locate them proved abortive.

However, the corpses of the children were found in an abandoned vehicle, two houses away from their parents’ home on Taike Street. Reliable sources told our correspondent that the vehicle was a Honda Pilot Sports Utility Vehicle which the owner had used as collateral and thus abandoned it.

The source said after the children wandered off, they went into the vehicle and were trapped inside, causing them to suffocate. He said, “We had searched all over for the
children to no avail and assumed they were kidnapped. Even the police thought it was kidnap. Only if we had known that the children were trapped in a vehicle in the next compound, we would have saved them.”

The spokesperson for the state police command, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the discovery to our
correspondent on the telephone.

http://www.nairaland.com/1215773/two-missing-kids-found-dead

Runaway Children - NCMEC

Runaway Children

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children^® intakes reports about missing children, younger than 18 years of age, who have run away from a parent, guardian or state care facility. Case management teams within the Critical and Runaway Unit provide technical assistance to law enforcement and support the runaway's family. Case management teams also partner with law enforcement agencies to help locate runaway children believed to be victimized through prostitution.

What to do if your child has run away

1. Immediately call your local law enforcement agency.
2. After you have reported your child missing to law enforcement, call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST^® (1-800-843-5678).

Ask law enforcement to enter information about your child into the FBI's National Crime Information Center database, known as NCIC. Federal law requires a specific, timely response from law enforcement agencies. If you have any difficulties getting law enforcement to take a report or enter information about your child into this database see the federal laws listed in the Legal Resources for Runaway Children section. Also contact NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or your missing child clearinghouse.

When contacting NCMEC be prepared to provide detailed biographical information about your child as well as information about the circumstances surrounding the runaway event.

How can NCMEC's case management team help?

The case management team will coordinate the creation and dissemination of posters to help generate leads. Information about your child must be entered in the FBI's National Crime Information Center so a poster can be created. The case management team will assist in forwarding leads called into NCMEC to the investigating law enforcement agency. It will also make appropriate referrals to families in crisis and needing emotional support to NCMEC's Family Advocacy Division and/or Team HOPE.

For available services and support see NCMEC's Victim and Family Support and Team HOPE services.

What if I believe my child is being victimized through prostitution?

When you make a report with law enforcement and NCMEC let all parties know of your suspicion and the basis of your belief. The case management team will coordinate with other NCMEC divisions as well as local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. For more information contact NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

Other resources

• For information about state laws regarding runaway children, refer to the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and National Network for Youth's publication Alone Without a Home: A State-by-State Review of Laws Affecting Unaccompanied Youth.
• Visit the National Runaway Safeline for more information on runways, how to leave a message for a child and transportation assistance for runaways.

Trinity Mount Family Website:

Join Trinity Mount Family on Twitter:

Putting our children’s safety first:

By Zhou Ping

Illustration: Chen Xia/GT 

A local radio station reported that one of the city's thousands of nannies, or ayi, called its hotline last week to confide her employment woes. The woman said that the family she works for has set up a camera in her bedroom in order to see how she takes care of their 17-month-old baby.

The father of the family works largely in the US, while the baby's mother is also out at work all day. And the camera has been specially set up so that the wife can track the ayi's movements on her mobile phone.

Although the ayi, surnamed Wu, initially knew that there were cameras in most rooms in the house, she said it was only after she took up the post that they then put one in her live-in bedroom, against her wishes.

On one occasion she manually turned off the camera, only to be sent a text message by her employer ordering her to switch it back on.

Wu naturally felt uncomfortable because she effectively had no privacy.

The family are definitely in the wrong for going back on their word not to install a camera in the ayi's room. Every employee, no matter what their job, has the right to privacy and the preservation of their dignity.

However, as a mother myself, I totally understand the parents' behavior and I think it's a good idea to set up such cameras in the home.

Sadly, there have been many news reports about nannies abusing children in their care. In a case reported last year, one mother in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province set up a camera without informing the nanny to try to find out why her son was so frightened of the woman. The mother was horrified to see that the ayi was slapping the child several times a day.

In another case, a nanny beat a crying baby so hard that the child lost consciousness.

Reading these stories it is unsurprising that families are keen to install cameras.

What I do think is that families need to be totally honest with nannies about cameras being used in the home.

In China today, it is not uncommon for both the husband and wife to work full time. In the past, new moms and dads could ask their own parents or even friends to take care of their child, but this is no longer an option for many people. First time grandparents, many of whom might still only be in their 50s, are also working themselves.

Added to this, many young couples are now working away from their hometown, and therefore away from their parents.

As an added precaution for the hiring of child carers, I think it's necessary for both nanny agencies and parents to check a nanny's working background carefully before hiring her.

This can be as simple as making phone calls to the woman's former employers. Nanny agencies should also take on responsibility for the thorough vetting and training of every person who they sign up. When these procedures are routine, we will hopefully stop reading the kind of aforementioned stories of abuse.

Trinity Mount Family Website:

Join Trinity Mount Family on Twitter:

Two Missing Children Found Dead In Delhi Jungle:

PTI

Two children, who went missing three days ago, were found dead in a jungle here today.

The children, aged five and seven, went missing three days ago from Mandawli, police said.

Their bodies were recovered from a jungle near Tilak Marg and Pragati Maidan.

Police said they were awaiting the post-mortem report to ascertain the cause of the death.

http://m.indianexpress.com/news/two-missing-children-found-dead-in-delhi-jungle/1082164/

How to Ensure Your Child's Safety on the School Bus:

 By Lisabelle Gonsalves, Team iDiva

Encourage your child to raise alarm in case anyone touches or says things that are inappropriate to her.

According to a TOI report today, bus perverts have become an everyday horror. With the increasing number of molestation and even rape cases on city school buses, parents and school authorities are worried about the safety of children. While the RTO is tightening the rules to ensure more reliable school bus services and efforts are being made to speed up convictions of perpetrators, there are a few things you as parents can do to ensure the safety of your children on the school bus. Here are a few tips.

1) Ensure that the school bus has a contract with the school and has more than one lady attendant on the bus.

2) If your child is an introvert, she may like to sit alone by the bus window or at the back of the bus. This makes her an easy target. Encourage your child to sit with other children while travelling on the bus. Even having just a couple of companions is safer than being alone.

3) Do not allow your child to spend any time alone on the bus as far as possible. If your child gets off at the last stop, make sure you are at the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus arrives. If that's not possible, ensure that a reliable adult is there to pick your child up.

Also read: How to Keep Your Child Safe on the Internet

4) Help your child memorise your telephone/ mobile/ office number as well as your address in case of an emergency. While it may be difficult for him to contact you from the bus anyway, it is still a good thing to assure him that he can reach you at any time. You can write them on a card and keep it in his school bag.

5) Ask your child about her day. Get into the details too. From the ride to school to play time and the students and teacher in her class to the driver and attendant on the bus, ask about everything. Encourage her talk about how she feels, things that disturb her et al. Children are able to sense danger many a time and hence, you will have a heads up against any untoward advances or incidents on the bus.

6) Explain to your child about good touch and bad touch. Also her know that she shouldn't let anyone touch her in appropriate places. Sex education as early as possible can help reduce cases of molestation and rape that are increasingly rising these days.

7) Encourage your child to raise alarm in case anyone touches or says things that are inappropriate to her. Often children are afraid to say or do anything when there is an adult involved. That's why explaining to your child that adults aren't always right is in fact a good thing.

Image courtesy: BCCL 

Trinity Mount Family Website:

Join Trinity Mount Family on Twitter:

Keeping children safe on the Internet:

Keeping children safe on the Internet

Keeping children safe on the Internet

The Children’s Workshop provides tips for parents

Updated: Monday, 25 Feb 2013, 12:25 PM EST
Published : Monday, 25 Feb 2013, 12:25 PM EST

• By Kathleen Kiely

( WPRI) -- Children are spending more time on the computer, and it's important to teach them the benefits and the risks of the Internet.

Parenting experts at the Children's Workshop gave us some tips to keep your kids safe while using the computer. With the Internet, children have access to unlimited information in the comfort of their home. The web is a resource children need for homework and there are also kid-friendly games online. There are risks on the Internet, but keeping an open line of communication with your child is the best way to stay safe.

"The first couple of times that they're surfing the web, surf it with them," said Nicole Chiello. "They will really get to know you on the computer with them and they really get to see that they will be able to have you with them to ask any sort of questions they might have."

Establishing family rules when it comes to the computer is also a good idea. Limit the time your child is allowed on the computer daily. As your child gets older, they can stay on longer, but the time limit and family rule still exist.

"It's also super important to keep the computer in a central location," said Nicole Chiello. "That way when they're spending time on the computer, you're still around and you're still kind of checking up on them."

Make sure you update the privacy settings on your browser and monitor the web browser's history. Never hesitate to ask your child what they are doing or who they are talking to. If you find suspicious activity on the history, bring it up. There needs to be limits when your child is on the Internet. 

Educate yourself about the Internet so you can educate your child about the dangers of giving out personal information online. If a website does not allow people under a certain age, then parents should enforce that. Social media websites have those rules for a reason.

The Children's Workshop recommends different websites that can help children understand the dangers of the Internet:

Common Sense Media is a website by kids for kids about staying safe online. Children are explaining how to say safe in a language your child will understand.

Common Sense also has a section for parents that is dedicated to providing trustworthy information to families. You can trust the website to help you are your family understand internet safety.

These online safety cards are a great way to jump-start the conversation about internet safety. They can be included when a child is getting a new device and it will make the conversation about internet safety that much easier.

Websites such as Club Penguin , allow children to play, chat, and explore in a trust-worthy and kid-friendly environment.

Copyright WPRI 12

Trinity Mount Family Website:

Join Trinity Mount Family on Twitter:

Virtual Tour of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children:

Missing Children

When a child goes missing the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children^® is ready to assist families and law enforcement agencies 24 hours a day. Each case brings its own set of unique challenges, and NCMEC is prepared to help meet those challenges.

NCMEC's case management teams work each case on an individual basis by providing coordinated support and access to analytical and technological resources. NCMEC is prepared to assist in all missing child cases, even when a child has been missing for a long period of time, was abducted internationally by a parent or has special needs.

NCMEC works closely with approximately 400 corporate photo partners who disseminate photos of missing children to millions of homes across the U.S. every day. NCMEC is able to assist in the most serious child abduction cases by sending specially trained, retired law enforcement professionals to provide support and technical assistance to local law enforcement agencies.

No missing child is ever forgotten, no matter how long they have been missing. Through the Biometrics Team NCMEC coordinates the collection of DNA, dental records and other unique identifiers from family members to search for potential matches, even for long-term cases. The Case Analysis Unit provides direct analytical support to law enforcement for missing and unidentified deceased child cases.

Every day NCMEC works to find missing children and reunite them with their families.

Trinity Mount Family Website:

Join Trinity Mount Family on Twitter:

FBI Chaplains Program

02/21/2013

Play Local/Download

 

 

Mollie Halpern: FBI employees continuously deal with crime, terrorism, and the darker facets of life. The Bureau’s chaplains program provides employees comfort and support.

Monsignor James Campbell: It could be some particularly stressful case they’re on…

Halpern: I’m Mollie Halpern of the Bureau, and this is FBI, This Week. The program is interfaith; more than 100 religious leaders from many faiths currently volunteer for it. Volunteers must meet strict criteria to serve the FBI.

Monsignor James Campbell wanted to be an FBI agent when he was young but realized his true calling was the priesthood. He now provides a listening ear to employees in the FBI’s Buffalo Division.

Monsignor Campbell: Just to be part of an organization like the FBI—that’s reward enough.

Dr. Margaret Swank of the Employee Assistance Program says the chaplains reinforce the FBI’s core values and our motto of Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity.

Dr. Swank: The FBI chaplains help support the ethics that the FBI is founded on. They help support the moral compass of Bureau employees.

Halpern: Visit www.fbi.gov

Trinity Mount Family Website:

Join Trinity Mount Family on Twitter:

Police find missing children:

Published on Feb 11, 2013

Police said 11-year-old Dashanique Upchurch and her 13-year-old brother, who had also been reported missing, were found Monday at a home on the 1100 block of Lewis Street.

Trinity Mount Family Website:

Join Trinity Mount Family on Twitter:

NCMEC - Keeping Kids Safer eNewsletter:

NetSmartz411 Sometimes adults feel like they don't know quite as much as their children do about the Internet. NetSmartz411 is your opportunity to learn more. Anyone - a parent, guardian, grandparent, stepparent, teacher, or concerned friend - is welcome to use NetSmartz411 to better understand the opportunities and challenges children face online. Your question will be answered by professionals who know a lot about Internet safety - the real-life analysts at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). We handle daily reports about the online exploitation of children, and know steps you can take to keep the children and teens in your life safer online. Search our knowledge base for answers to all of your questions about the online world! If you can't find what you're looking for, use the "Ask the Experts" tab to send us a new question. Read more... Transition Plan for AMBER Alert Program  CTIA-The Wireless Association®, The Wireless Foundation™, NCMEC and Syniverse announced on December 31, 2012, the Wireless AMBER Alerts™ program will end operations, as a part of the nation’s transition to the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) program. Millions of cellphone users across the country will now receive free, automatic notifications about abducted children in their area as part of the WEA program. Read more... Safe to Compete: Protecting Child Athletes from Sexual Abuse  Protecting children and providing them safe spaces in which they can learn, play, and grow is central to the mission of every youth-serving organization. That is why NCMEC and the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation are hosting Safe to Compete: Protecting Child Athletes from Sexual Abuse, an invite-only summit to engage youth sports organizations, issue experts, athletes, parents, and others committed to preventing the sexual abuse of child athletes. Learn more... Take 25 Take 25 is a preventive child safety campaign created by NCMEC in honor of National Missing Children’s Day. Annually honored on May 25th, this day serves as a reminder to the nation to make child safety a national priority. You can take action by hosting or planning to participate in a Take 25 community event, or simply making an effort to spend time talking to kids about safety. To learn more about Take 25 and how to get involved, click here. FBI Recovers Abducted Child Taken Overseas and Missing for 12 Years  After a 12-year quest, a New York father has been reunited with his daughter, who was taken overseas by her mother when she was 2 years old. The mother has been charged with international kidnapping. Over the years, NCMEC worked closely with the father and the FBI to get publicity for the case in the hopes that someone might know their whereabouts. The case was featured on television shows, including "America's Most Wanted" and "Without a Trace." Read more… NOTES FROM NCMEC Virtual Tour of NCMEC Learn about the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children through this inside look at our headquarters. Meet the teams that help find missing children, identify child victims of sexual exploitation and prevent these crimes from happening. Watch here. YOU Make a Difference Help NCMEC celebrate Matching Gift Month by going on ourMatching Gift Page to find out if your employer has a matching gift program. Many companies have a matching gift program; you give an amount, they donate the same. Some companies will even triple your donation! So, go make a donation today to NCMEC and then find out if your company will match your support to help prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation; help find missing children; and assist victims of abduction and sexual exploitation. Copyright© 2013 National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. All rights reserved. This e-mail has been sent to you as a supporter of NCMEC. If you prefer not to receive e-mail like this in the future, please unsubscribeby sending a blank e-mail to leave-232965-761870.0b69ea96eb4a50a9713f823a9f20d4d7@mailer.ncmec-news.org. You are currently subscribed as: trinitymount@gmail.com. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Charles B. Wang International Children's Building 699 Prince Street Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3175 The United States of America Phone: 703-224-2150 Fax: 703-224-2122 Hotline: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) CONTACT US

Trinity Mount Family Website:

Join Trinity Mount Family on Twitter:

Over 60,000 children go missing in India every year, activists point at police inaction:

Meenakshi Upreti, CNN-IBN

New Delhi: In the wake of the brutal Delhi gangrape and massive outpouring of public anger, the Justice Verma Committee was formed to look into amendments in criminal law. But it also highlighted one of the biggest problems of the country - the missing children of India. "A lakh kids go missing every year. The police must file an FIR, DM should maintain records," Justice JS Verma said.

Most missing children are victims of human trafficking and sexual violence, often with police connivance, observed the Justice Verma commission, citing the case of a minor girl who was trafficked from Jharkhand to Delhi, made to work for a year without pay and then trafficked again to Punjab.

Fortunately, the girl was rescued by an NGO, but thousands of children aren't as lucky. Kunwarjit, whose 11-year-old son went missing two years ago said nothing has been done to locate him. "Police hasn't done a thing to find him. I got a call from my son once but the police refused to act on it saying that it was a hoax call. Had they acted then, probably I would've had my son, but now I think I won't see him again," said the missing child's father.

Official records show 53,000 children were reported missing in India in 2010,59,000 missing in 2011, that is 1 child every 8 minutes. Activists claim the biggest problem is police inaction.

Delhi has the largest number of untraced children as 14 kids go missing from the city every day. Police claim most are cases of children running away willingly, rarely investigating allegations of child trafficking and sexual abuse.

Activist AR Chaurasia said, "The police shuts the case saying that the child ran away and came back on his own. My question is what did the child do for four years? Someone must have employed him, why don't they probe it?"

According to the NCRB 60,000 children go missing every year despite the fact that big states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar, along with Punjab and Jharkhand, did not provide the data for missing children. Perhaps it is time the police take strict actions to ensure no child has to suffer the same misery as her.

Official records show 53,000 children were reported missing in India in 2010,

Trinity Mount Family Website:

Join Trinity Mount Family on Twitter: