Child Abduction #7 {From a Pediatrician's Perspective}
Submitted by Kiara Thomas on Tue, 04/01/2008 - 23:25.
Kiara Thomas
April 1, 2008
Blog Post #7
A previous study taken by Carolyn Zogg of Child Find Of America found that the number of parental abductions is 6 times more than previous estimated had said they were. Parental abductions actually occur more than stranger abductions. A lot of attention has been given on how to prevent stranger abduction; prevention programs for parental abductions have been non-existent. A study by a national hotline program found 86 consecutive phone calls from parents contemplating the abduction of their children. The MAYOCLINIC made this statement “‘Stranger danger’ lessons alone don’t protect children” I think this is true because as I said in my elevator pitch and as Child Find Of America said also, more abductions are done by someone who actually knows the child.
Daniel Broughton, M.D, is a pediatrician and also the former director of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children seems to agree. “Rather than teaching children to fear strangers, which is at best, woefully inadequate, we need to se positive messages,” says Dr. Broughton. “Children need to learn skills and confidence, not fear and avoidance.” I think Dr Broughton said it better than all of us. Dr. Broughton is one of the authors of the newly published book “The Pediatrician’s Role in the Prevention of Missing Children.” This book offers prevention strategies for pediatricians to share with families.
Dr. Broughton says, too often, the emphasis is placed on stranger danger. But, most of the children that were reported missing were taken not by a stranger, but in fact, by a non-custodial parent. Only an acute amount of children are victims of classic kidnappings, though many are abducted for shorter periods and then released. More importantly, most people who are responsible for these crimes are not a criminal in the eye and mind of the child. “It could be a neighbor, a familiar face in the child’s daily routine, or someone the child’s parents know well enough to greet,” says Dr. Broughton.
