Recognizing May 25, 2024 as National Missing Children's Day in the City of Philadelphia.

Recognizing May 25, 2024 as National Missing Children’s Day in the City of Philadelphia. WHEREAS, The first National Missing Children’s Day was proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan on May 25, 1983, in memory of Etan Patz, a 6 year-old boy who disappeared from a New York City street corner on May 25, 1979; and WHEREAS, Etan’s killer was convicted in 2017, but the case remains active because his body was never found; and WHEREAS, Each year, the Department of Justice commemorates Missing Children’s Day by honoring the heroic and exemplary efforts of agencies, organizations and individuals engaged in the protection of children; and WHEREAS, According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, over 375,000 reports of missing juveniles were made nationally in 2023, with the majority being family abductions; and WHEREAS, Also in 2023, 1,200 children were successfully recovered through the AMBER Alert system, while another 180 recoveries were made thanks to wireless emergency alerts; and WHEREAS, Troublingly, bad actors also utilize modern technology, with reports of online enticement of juveniles up by more than 300% between 2021 and 2023; and WHEREAS, The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (“NCMEC”) exists as a resource to help prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation; help find missing children; and assist victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their families and the professionals who serve them; an…