Missing

Between 1979 and 1981 a series of high-profile missing-children cases became national headlines. Three such cases contributed to the shock of the nation’s consciousness bringing attention to the seriousness of child victimization and forever changing the response by law-enforcement agencies to reports of missing children. On May 25, 1979, Etan Patz disappeared from a New York City street on his way to school. Even before cases of missing children routinely garnered national media attention, Etan’s case quickly received a lot of coverage. His father, a professional photographer, disseminated black-and-white photographs of Etan in an effort to find him. The massive search and media attention that followed focused the nation’s attention on the problem…

The International Missing Children's Day was launched in 1998 as a day to honor and remember the children who remain missing while rejoicing over those who have been found and brought home. It lands on the same day as the American National Missing Children's Day and serves much the same purpose. This is a good time to feature and share the stories and photos of missing children to encourage public awareness in the search. Feel free to share events across the world linked to this day in the comments below.