U.S. Attorney Announces Take 25 Child Safety Events in Phoenix and Tucson

PHOENIX—The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) created the Take 25 campaign to encourage families to take 25 minutes to talk to their children about safety and abduction prevention. NCMEC estimates that 800,000 children are reported missing in America every year, which is more than 2,000 children each day. Fortunately, most of these children are quickly located.

NCMEC has found that in 81 percent of attempted abduction cases, children escaped would-be abductors through their own actions. Twenty-eight percent of the children actively resisted (yelling, kicking, pulling away, running away, or attracting attention), while 53 percent recognized something was not right and responded by walking or running away. Teaching and reassuring children about safety—without scaring them—requires a delicate balance. Take 25 provides parents tools and age-appropriate suggestions for approaching the topic of safety with their children.

“The annual Take 25 national child safety campaign is especially important this time of year,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ann Birmingham Scheel. “As our children begin their summer vacations from school, we encourage parents to take time to talk with their children about safety and abduction prevention. Our office vigorously prosecutes those who sexually exploit children and prey on them through the Internet. We hope that the tools and information parents will receive at this year’s Take 25 events might assist them in keeping their children safe.”

Since 1983, May 25 has been observed as National Missing Children’s Day. In conjunction with observance of this year’s National Missing Children’s Day, we are pleased to offer two free Take 25 events. These events will be designed to help parents and others teach children to be alert to potential threats and provide steps that children can take to stay safe. Both events will provide attendees with important safety information and demonstrations, along with Child Identification Kits.

Tuscon: The Tucson event will be held on May 29, 2012 at the Foothills Mall from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Agencies participating in the Tucson event include the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, ICE, ATF, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, the Pima County Attorney’s Office, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, the Arizona Child Advocacy Center, and the Arizona Free Masons Child Identification Program. Children’s self-defense demonstrations will be provided by Ko Sho Karate and RADkids instructors.

Phoenix: The Phoenix event will be held on May 30, 2012 at the Desert Ridge Market Place from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Agencies participating in the Phoenix event include the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, FBI, ICE, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, the Phoenix Police Department, the Phoenix Fire Department, Mothers Awareness on School-Age Kids (MASK), and Community Wellness and Safety of Arizona. Three teenage bands will also perform at the event.

For more information on NCMEC, visit www.missingkids.com. For more information about the Take 25 campaign, visit www.take25.org. For more information on Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.