Recently there has been alot of television coverage of child abductions. So, the FBI came out with press release trying to calm parents nerves saying that the number is actually down from previous years. So, we wanted to know what the actual numbers were and we did an internet search. What we found was that, well, basically, most people agreed, that the numbers were difficult to track and that the research on this topic was not really being done as well as it could/should be.
There are a number of excellent organizations out there working to protect our children. There are also excellent resources online. Findthekids.com is a great website for relevant links and updated information.
The problem seems to be that there are so many classifications of child abductions and every police precinct may classify a missing person / abducted child in whatever classification that seems to fit. The child may have been taken by a non-custodial relative (one classification), potential runaway, endangered abduction, stranger abduction, lost child, throw-away child (yes, this was a category we saw on one website[!]), and many more. There were other reasons sited for the confusion over actual numbers of abductions reported but they were all speculative and too astounding to write about it a couple of sentences.
Here are a couple of links to websites we found most valuable. Let us know what you think. How are you planning on keeping your child safe? What precautions have you taken since the increased number of child abductions reported on the television (not the increased number of actual abductions just in the reporting of abductions)? Also, visit the Stay at Home Mom discussion board and take our poll on the reporting of child abductions.

Increased Number of Abductions?
News from the Post-Gazette
Find the Kids