Teenage Girls are Most susceptible to Abduction & MoCHIP has ID’d 332 of them!

MoCHIP the FREE child ID program sponsored by the Masonic Children’s Foundation has ID’d 332 teenage girls at the Missouri Girls State Meeting held June 21-27 at the University of Central Missouri. Why is this such an accomplishment? According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) GIRLS and BOYS ages 11-21 are statistically most susceptible to become missing. However, this is also the age group that believes only small children and babies are kidnapped.

By parental definition, teenagers are periphery adults that know everything, fear nothing and defy the odds at every turn. Though we know better, our children are venturing out into a world where they are making their own decisions and hopefully trusting their instincts. All a parent can do at this time in life is, in short, trust that they’ve armed their children with a lifetime of safety and ethical discussions, monitor their activities and devices, and prepare with a child ID packet should the unimaginable ever occur.

Nearly 2,000 children are reported missing or abducted in the United States each day. It happens. And despite the perceptions—not just to young children. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates between 244,000 and 325,000 American youth are considered at risk for sexual exploitation, and an estimated 199,000 incidents of sexual exploitation of minors occur each year in the United States. The average age at entry into commercial sex, or Sex Trafficking, for girls is 12-14 years old; the average age for boys and transgender youth is 11-13.

MoCHIP has been tested nine times in Missouri that we know of, with every one of those children returned home safely to their families. And though we cannot release details about the recoveries, each of the nine children were between the ages of 11-21. To date (since August 2005) MoCHIP has held 1,173 events and has ID’d 198,138 Missouri children. The peace of mind MoCHIP provides to Missouri families is invaluable.