(WXYZ) — National Missing Children's Day is held every year on May 25.
It was first declared the day in honor of missing children by then-President Ronald Reagan in 1983.
The FBI said there were 365,348 entries for missing children in 2020, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. That was down from 421,394 in 2019.
Check out the tips from Michigan State Police below.
- Parents should take an active role in their children's lives. Parents should know where their children are at all times, and be familiar with their children's friends and daily activities.
- Parents should teach their children to ask for permission from them first before going anywhere or with anyone.
- Parents should teach their children to use the "buddy system" and to never travel alone.
- Parents should teach their children that if something makes them feel uneasy or uncomfortable, they should get away quickly and tell their parents or a trusted adult about what had happened.
- Parents should teach their children that it is okay to be suspicious of an adult asking for assistance, many child predators use this technique to isolate and distract a possible child victim.
- Parents should assure their children that they have the right to say "no" when they sense something is wrong.
- Children should know their home address and telephone number, and know how to contact their parents if there is an emergency (for example; a relative's telephone number or the parent's work telephone number).
- The parents should devise a code word that the child can learn in case there is an emergency, and a trusted adult needs to contact the child. The child should be taught that the code word is special and should not be shared with their friends.
- Parents should teach their children how to dial "911" when asking for help in an emergency. Parents should teach their children that when they are talking on the telephone to the "911" operator, they should tell the person their name, speak loudly, slowly and clearly, and not to hang-up.
