When there are reports on the means of a child who is lost is easy to think the worst, but sometimes the reality is not as alarming.
This is what happens with a statistical widely used on children disappear in the United States. The story is really what seems. A television channel Washington d.c. recently launched an awareness campaign using the hashtag # every90seconds, arguing that, on average, in that country a child is lost every minute and a half. It's a number that has been widely cited in the media US in recent years, often for reasons well-meaning, as in this case.
Sounds disturbing, because we may assume reasonably that the number refers to kidnapping, or children who are in real danger.
But where do comes the figure 90 seconds? Is based on a study 2002 funded by the Department of Justice US in this were analyzed data 1999 of a variety of sources, including reports police and interviews with parents and children.
Found that 797.500 children had been reported missing around the country. Since then has not been made another major study.
In 1999 there were just under 72 million children under 18 in the United States. This means that one in 90 reported missing in one year: a number quite alarming. But, what I wanted to say exactly the study when claimed that a child was "vanished"? "The concept of child disappeared has been extensively misunderstood", says professor David finkelhor, one of the authors of the study and director of research Center crimes against children of the University of new Hampshire.
There are many reasons why disappears lower: perhaps escaped of your home, or not come back in time to your home. And although these facts are concern, are very different to the cases in which a child is kidnapped by a strange on the Street.
"The number of children who actually kidnapped by strangers is quite small," says finkelhor. Only 115 the 797.500 children were subject to what finkelhor and co-authors defined as kidnapping "esterotípico", ie, were abducted by a strange and held at night, perhaps permanently or carried at least 80km away. In fact, almost half of children registered in the study were what the authors called "missing benign".
This means that their parents or guardians thought had disappeared, but soon returned to their homes. So many of the children who are reported as missing actually were not.
in addition, there is evidence suggests that the problem decreased 13 years have passed since the study of finkelhor was published.
Though of course, for affected, remain reasons suffering. In 2014, the FBI received a 600.000 reports missing persons, most of which had least 18 years. But this figure has been reduced from 1997, when received almost a million
reports missing persons.
Finkelhor States that technology has made that life is safer for children. "The biggest change has been the acquisition cell phone, which allows parents be in touch with their children," says the author.
"So, for example, it is likely to episodes" disappearances benign "have dropped much because the parents can call and find their children, or to know what is happening", adds. Currently finkelhor was conducting an investigation to update your study, which is expected ready at the end of year.
But for now the only thing that says is that the numbers of children who are lost reflect a decrease well documented in levels general criminal activity in the United States.
To try to decrease these crimes and actions we are these organizations United not occur more example: milkbox and @familyprotection among others to help children in need and their families
