In the past week, all of Colorado has been on standby waiting and watching to see the outcome of a horrific abduction case. Although we all hoped for the best, we knew that after a body had been found the outcome was, in fact, bleak. When the body was identified to be that of the ten-year-old girl abducted the previous week, we were all stunned by the mortifying circumstances of her death.

Child abductions are not something that should ever be taken lightly; it is one of the most serious cases that there is, especially when it involves not only the kidnapping of a child but murder of that child. As the events of the past week have been unraveling, parents, teachers, and public authorities are once again reiterating a message we have heard all of our lives: don’t talk to strangers.

As is customary after horrific events such as this abduction, people are extremely cautious and more alert; but as the days keep moving on and the clock keeps ticking, we seem to forget to retain that caution and inevitably we forget to take note of what is happening around us. As a community of families, young adults and elderly, we need to make sure that we are protecting not only our youngest of companions, but protecting everyone who seems to be in a compromising situation.

I remember growing up receiving Amber Alerts pertaining to those who attempted to lure young children into their cars or grab them and force them into their cars. Stories like these need to encourage (or frighten) parents into making sure their children and students are prepared in case a situation happens to come up. Keeping a level head is crucial in situations that can potentially be harmful. Keeping your emotions in tact can be the difference between getting help and ineffectively struggling. Not every situation in life is necessarily going to be a life and death situation, but it is learning to stay calm in any situation that can make the life and death situations less of a struggle to keep your head.

It is more than just keeping yourself safe; it is about ensuring that you and all those around you are safe. It is going to take a village in order to help diminish the number of children that go missing in a year. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, nearly 800,000 children under the age of 18 go missing each year. Can we save one or two or even three of those children? Can we try to guarantee that at least a couple more of these children will not be put through immense pain and trauma, but are instead allowed to live their life to the fullest? We can attempt to save lives if people continue to be proactive even when the pain and terror of an imminent event has passed.

By recognizing suspicious behavior, by recognizing different patterns in your neighborhood, by seeing changes in neighbors (such as behavior, attitude or appearance), by talking to our children, (telling them not to talk to that stranger or get in their car or even look at their puppy), and by not putting yourself in circumstances that could be threatening or harmful we can help keep our community safe. It is by taking these precautionary measures that we can help dwindle child abductions or abductions of any kind, and in turn ensure a better life for us and our families.

If you see or suspect suspicious behavior in your area, don’t be afraid to talk about it; talk to your neighbors, talk to the authorities (don’t be afraid to get them involved). If you or someone you know has been abducted, use that to help spark a fire, to help create a safer community for everyone. Come together; be a community that strives to help protect everyone and take precautionary measures to ensure that safety. When a spark hits a dry field it erupts into flames; let’s erupt this mission to protect our community into a massive, blazing fire that can never be extinguished.

Sources:

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2810#1