WINNIPEG — Bringing along a friend is essential to reducing the number of child abductions seen across the country, according to the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.
Thursday is International Missing Children’s Day, putting the spotlight back on abducted and murdered children.
A recent study from the centre (below) examined 147 cases of missing children between 1970 and 2010.
It found:
- In 68% of these cases, the child was alone when abducted.
- 41% of the abductions occurred in June, July or August.
- Across all age groups, 53% were last seen between the hours of 3:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- 45% occurred on a Friday or Saturday.
- 67% were in-transit at the time of abduction (i.e. walking, biking), such as travelling to school, a friend’s home or a nearby park or mall.
“It seems simple, but the buddy system is the most effective strategy that reduces the risk of children being abducted,” said Christy Dzikowicz, director of MissingKids.ca at the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.
“We see this across age groups — from when children are small all the way up to the vulnerable young adult years. The buddy system is the number one way of keeping our kids safe in situations that may have been preventable.”
The full study can be found below:
