I am no expert on Child Abuse, Abduction or Sexual Abuse and Murder, but I have had experience in dealing with children. My experience comes from several years of being a Child Protective case worker with the State of Michigan and from over fifteen years of teaching both elementary and secondary youngsters.
My novel, The Walking Man, is about the murder and rape of a nine-year-old girl and how her close friends dealt with that loss. It is fictional, but the subject is not. For those of you who would like to know how to talk to your children about the “bad” in our world, I would like to suggest several places that you can go on the internet to learn more.
99.8% of children who go missing do come home….
Surprised? That is an accurate percentage. Sometimes the media (of which I was an active member for a decade) tends to scare people with horrific stories. There is the other side…
In 1993, a young girl named Polly Klaas was abducted from her home in California and unfortunately, she was one who did not come home. But, her story sparked national attention about child abduction and murder. The result was the Polly Klass Foundation. This site on the net (http://www.pollyklaas.org/) is a wonderful site from which all kinds of information can be obtained.
The Amber Alert System, which is now nationwide, was developed in 1996 following the kidnapping and murder of nine-year-old Amber Hagerman in Texas. The system basically consists of law enforcement agencies notifying local and national media with relevant information concerning a missing child. The alerts go immediately to national radio and television and in some areas are put on flashing signs along major interstate highways. It is the public awareness and involvement that has returned hundreds of children to their families since Amber Alert went into effect. To learn more, go to: www.amberalert911.com
Years ago, when my story took place, neighbors and people in small towns took care of their children. They watched over them and even sometimes scolded them just as their parents would do. Children played outside for hours, riding bikes, skating, sledding or flying kites. They felt safe. They weren’t reminded constantly of the “boogey man” and there was a sense of innocence about their lives. It can still be that way, if we are diligent and watchful over our children. They are our future and they deserve our respect and protection.
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