| Show 4 A CHILDS CHILD'S GREATEST i F ENEMY IS TIME 5 By Rachel Warner t Staff Writer Its It's been three months since the the abduction of Elizabeth Smart V ML Im I'm sure everyone is aware of who she is if not your probably residing in iQ a different country Everywhere you go whether it its it's to the store movies or ev even n driving driving driving ing along YOl youre you're re bound to o see the familiar face of the missing missing miss miss- x E ing girl It wasn't until recently that Ive I've started to take a closer look at k fV what's going on around me Ive I've begun to wonder about the other children who have come up missing in the last few months What do they look like What t were their hobbies What part of town did they live in Was it itY Y somewhere as prominent as Federal Heights If not is that why their faces arent aren't plastered 7 all over the newspapers billboards billboards bill bill- boards and everywhere else imaginable I guess what Ive I've failed to understand is what makes Elizabeth Smart any different r than any other child abducted recently There was a young girl r taken from her home raped and beaten with a hammer about a month ago Elizabeth Smarts Smart's family made a public appearance on the news to give their condolences condolences condolences con con- to the family Why would they have the Smart family family family ly speak to a family that circumstances circumstances circumstances circum circum- stances dont don't even match The little girl is fighting for her lifer life r up in primary childrens children's hospital and I think I heard about her and how she was doing a couple of times Granted she is going to live but it blows my mind how one family has made such an impression on our city People are treating this as if this is the first kidnapping case here in Salt Lake It almost makes me think o that everything surrounding the Smart case is for publicity Every month I receive a small cardboard flier in the mail that provides a picture and description tion of a missing child Its It's usually usually usually ally with the junk mail and before I throw it away I have to look at the faces of the children to make sure that I haven't seen them-I them feel guilty otherwise Im I'm glad there is something out rt there that acknowledges the disappearance disappearance disappearance dis dis- appearance of all missing childr chil chil- dr dren n. n That flier is the National Center Cepter for Missing and Exploited Ch Children serves as a focal point in providing assistance assistance assistance assis assis- tance to parents children law enforcement schools and the community in recovering missing missing missing miss miss- ing children and raising public awareness about ways to help prevent prevent child abduction molestation and sexual tion It was started in 1981 when year old Adam Walsh was abducted in Florida His parents 11 John and Reve Walsh went to Washington DC D.C. seeking help There wasn't a childrens children's building building building build build- ing or help for searching parents parents parents par par- and no national response to the problem Because of that Mr Walsh founded co the private private private vate nonprofit They have worked on cases of missing children and helped recover children so far I wasn't aware until recently of a plan created called the AMBER Alert It is a voluntary partnership between law- law enforcement agencies and broadcasters broadcasters broadcasters broad broad- casters to activate an urgent bulletin bulletin bulletin bul bul- letin in the most serious child- child abduction cases This is the same concept used during severe weather emergencies The goal of the AMBER Alert is to get the community involved in the search for and the safe return of the child The reason its it's called the AMBER Alert is in remembrance remembrance remembrance brance of year old Amber Hagerman who was kidnapped and brutally murdered while riding riding riding rid rid- ing her bike in Arlington Texas in 1996 Certain criteria have to be met before the will place the child on the AMBER Alert The first is the law enforcement confirms a child has has' been abducted Two-Law Two enforcement have to believe the circumstances surrounding the abduction indicate the child is in danger of serious bodily harm or death Its It's interesting to me how the police can somehow assume whether the kidnapper is planning planning planning plan plan- ning to do bodily harm to the victim victim victim vic vic- vic vic- tim as if anyone who kidnaps a achild achild achild child has any real good intentions intentions intentions And third there is enough descriptive information about the child abductor or and/or suspects suspect's vehicle to believe and immediate broadcast alert will help If these criteria are met alert information must be put together for public distribution There are many organizations dedicated to missing children and the purpose of those organizations organizations organizations is to provide help and support to the missing childrens children's families The Laura Recovery Center was dedicated to Laura Kate Smither a year old child who was abducted near her home in Friendswood Texas on April 3 1997 The community gathered gathered gathered gath gath- ered together in search of the young girl unfortunately her body was discovered 17 days later Trisha Anne Autry a 15 year-old year girl who lived in the small rural town of Hyrum Utah was abducted while taking a walk one morning She never returned home Her partial remains were found days later buried ten to thirty feet deep at the A. A Wildlife Predator Center in Millville Utah The Trisha Autry Foundation which has been established for forthe forthe forthe the express purposes of helping families with missing children and to educate communities about how to protect their chil chil- dren It also brings awareness to the parents about working with state and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies I started out my article with the frustration I felt on on how unfair it was one little girl could receive so much publicity But maybe it has nothing to do with the wealth of the family but rather the sophistication of the family and the people involved What happened to Elizabeth Smart is a tragedy In no way shape or form am I trying to downplay what happened to her Her smile will forever be engraved into our minds but I feel every child who is abducted whether they are rich or poor should be treated with the same respect The best thing family's with missing children can do is isget isget isget get the word out quickly especially especially especially espe espe- to the media because statistics statistics statistics sta sta- sta- sta show that when abducted a childs child's greatest enemy is time C |
