National Missing Children's Day, 2003

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7682 of May 23, 2003

National Missing Children's Day, 2003

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On National Missing Children's Day, we join with
families, law enforcement officials, and child
advocates to highlight our commitment to stopping the
abduction and exploitation of children. During this
year's observance, we celebrate the progress we have
made in safeguarding children, and we renew our
dedication to protecting our most vulnerable citizens
and our most valuable resources.

The Department of Justice estimates that more than
50,000 children will be victims of nonfamily abductions
each year. While the rate of recovery in such
kidnappings is approximately 99 percent, the trauma of
abduction affects far too many. No young person in
America should ever know the terror of abduction, and
no family should ever have to experience the nightmare
of having a loved one suddenly taken.

The safety and well-being of our children is a shared
responsibility for all Americans and for Federal,
State, and local authorities. My Administration is
making the prevention and investigation of child
abductions a top priority. We are working to use
available resources to educate our citizens about how
to prevent child abductions. We are also creating new
lines of communication between authorities and the
public to help find and safely return missing children
to their families. We will continue to vigorously
prosecute and severely punish those who would harm our
children.

To further these efforts, in August 2002, my
Administration released a new guidebook, ``Personal
Safety for Children: A Guide for Parents'' to teach
parents steps to improve their children's safety. Since
then, copies have been distributed to public and
private schools and public libraries throughout the
country, in both English and Spanish. In October 2002,
I convened the first White House Conference on Missing,
Exploited, and Runaway Children to promote public
awareness of the issues and to generate recommendations
and best practices from experts. And in December 2002,
I signed legislation creating the Dot Kids domain, a
child-friendly zone on the Internet. The sites on this
domain are monitored for content and safety, offering
parents peace of mind knowing that their children can
learn in a safe and healthy environment.

Last month I signed the PROTECT Act, an important law
that provides valuable new ways to deter, investigate,
prosecute, and punish crimes against America's
children. The PROTECT Act also builds on my
Administration's ongoing efforts to expand and improve
the AMBER Alert program, which has become an
increasingly important tool to help rescue kidnapped
children by quickly getting key information about the
missing child and the suspect to the public. This law
formally establishes the Federal Government's role in
the AMBER Alert system and equips the Department of
Justice to help State and local officials develop,
enhance, and coordinate AMBER plans across America.

Our Nation has come to know the names and faces of far
too many children because they have been the victims of
acts of cruelty and violence. These crimes break our
hearts and stir our anger. Our Nation shares the joy of

the parents who are reunited with their children, and
prays with those who are still hoping and waiting. We
grieve with every family that has suffered the loss of
or injury to a child. We will continue the fight
against the threats that our children face.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim May 25, 2003, as National
Missing Children's Day. I call upon Americans to join
me in commemorating this observance by celebrating
those children who have been returned to their loved
ones, remembering those young people who are missing,
and continuing to work together on every front to
protect our children from those who would seek to harm
them.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-third day of May, in the year of our Lord two
thousand three, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and twenty-seventh.

(Presidential Sig.)B