Missing
Children's Day
Remarks
by David Kilgour, Member
of Parliament for Edmonton
Southeast
Child Find Place, Edmonton,
25 May 1997
The issue
of missing children is one
that touches our hearts
and has an impact on all
of us, in one way or another.
The pain and anguish of
having a child go missing
is something that no parent
should have to face. Today,
we join all those whose
hearts ache for the return
of a missing child and for
those children who long
to return home.
Human pain
does not mercifully distinguish
between the powerful and
the poor. It is the Canadian
identity, the compassion,
the spontaneous urge to
share the sorrow and grief,
that make such unthinkable
acts as these unforgettable.
Few types
of conduct evoke more concern,
repugnance or horror than
violence. It is equated
with decay by social scientists;
its prevalence is deplored
by statesmen; and unprecedented
resources are devoted to
combat it. We are confronted
with it almost daily as
part of mass media entertainment,
news presentations and fiction.
The real-life violence that
has become a part of our
social landscape, however,
lacks the glamour, simplicity
and unambiguity of the kinds
in movies or editorials.
And it is on the rise.
More and
more public attention in
recent years both in Canada
and the United States has
focused on the problem of
missing persons. To the
family of the victim, a
disappearance is a dreadful
experience whether it lasts
for a matter of hours, months
or years. Or forever. They
go through excruciating
anguish over the victim’s
fate trying to reason out
the unreasonable. They feel
shock, anger, denial and
frustration. Yet, in the
absence of any evidence
to the contrary, they cling
to the hope he or she may
return. They also have to
learn to live with chronic
uncertainty.
On Sunday,
May 25, 1983, Child Find
groups across North America
commemorated the disappearance
of a six-year-old boy, Etan
Patz from his New York City
home. Given the international
scope of the problem and
the need for collaboration
between the government and
the private sector, the
Solicitor General made the
proposal that Canada follow
the lead of the United States
and declare May 25 National
Missing Children’s
Day.
Thousands
of children are reported
missing each year as a result
of parental or stranger
abduction, accidents, or
other mishaps, an alarming
number of children are runaways.
Our children are the future
of this country and they
must be protected. As parents
and members of our communities,
we must all work together
to make an impact on the
issue of missing children.
The total
number of missing children
reported to police across
Canada in 1995 shows an
increase from 51,973 in
1994 to 55, 749 in 1995.
It is estimated that there
are 100,000 - 200,000 actual
missing children in Canada.
Of the 55,749 new cases
added to the Canadian Police
Information Centre database
in 1995, 93% were between
the ages of 12 and 17. The
majority of missing children
cases (78%) reported to
police departments across
Canada falls into the category
of runaways. Many runaways
leave home to escape abusive
situations or other problems
they perceive to be unsolvable.
Children and youths who
runaway from home are more
vulnerable to exploitation
and delinquent activities.
Most have no means of support
and lack the training and
skills to get a job. Consequently,
they may become involved
in prostitution, drug dealing,
theft and panhandling for
money, food and shelter.
The federal
government established an
RCMP Missing Children Registry (MCR) in 1986 that coordinates
inquiries from small Canadian
police departments regarding
abductions. But the system
is far from perfect and
luck still plays a part
in solving some cases of
disappearance. More importantly,
it seems that most cases
would be solvable if the
time and resources were
available. A search for
answers in the cases of
disappearances is, of course,
only one of numerous routine
daily functions the police
handle in addition to the
investigations of sudden
deaths, traffic accidents,
sexual offences, robberies,
etc.. Nevertheless, it cannot
be emphasized enough that
priority should be given
to every reported disappearance
coming within the power
of the police to investigate
because a life may be saved.
We should
realize that society at
large is damaged when one
person commits an act of
physical aggression against
a fellow human being.
Violence
is caused because some persons
feel that only by resorting
to a physical act can they
solve a problem they face.
One step toward a less violent
society therefore would
be education of our youth
that stresses self-esteem
and self-confidence, that
leads to positive interpersonal
communication and respect
for human beings.
The efforts
of government bodies and
legislators should not just
be limited to improving
crime prevention programs.
Adequate steps should be
taken, including committing
increased resources to bring
violent offenders to justice
in a speedy, efficient manner,
which will act as a deterrent
to future crime perpetration
by the offenders. Such an
action is required now before
even more human suffering
results.
I am confident
that events taking place
today to mark National Missing
Children’s Day will
succeed in generating awareness
and serve as a further call
to action for all Canadians
on behalf of missing children.
But it must be stressed
that the police, voluntary
searching agencies, other
government and non-government
partners must continue to
work together to develop
effective prevention, education
and intervention strategies
to respond to the problem
of missing children and
youth at risk in Canada.
Thank you.
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