[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 103 (Thursday, May 29, 2003)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 31937-31938]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-13576]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 103 / Thursday, May 29, 2003 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 31937]]

                Proclamation 7682 of May 23, 2003

                
National Missing Children's Day, 2003

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On National Missing Children's Day, we join with 
                families, law enforcement officials, and child 
                advocates to highlight our commitment to stopping the 
                abduction and exploitation of children. During this 
                year's observance, we celebrate the progress we have 
                made in safeguarding children, and we renew our 
                dedication to protecting our most vulnerable citizens 
                and our most valuable resources.

                The Department of Justice estimates that more than 
                50,000 children will be victims of nonfamily abductions 
                each year. While the rate of recovery in such 
                kidnappings is approximately 99 percent, the trauma of 
                abduction affects far too many. No young person in 
                America should ever know the terror of abduction, and 
                no family should ever have to experience the nightmare 
                of having a loved one suddenly taken.

                The safety and well-being of our children is a shared 
                responsibility for all Americans and for Federal, 
                State, and local authorities. My Administration is 
                making the prevention and investigation of child 
                abductions a top priority. We are working to use 
                available resources to educate our citizens about how 
                to prevent child abductions. We are also creating new 
                lines of communication between authorities and the 
                public to help find and safely return missing children 
                to their families. We will continue to vigorously 
                prosecute and severely punish those who would harm our 
                children.

                To further these efforts, in August 2002, my 
                Administration released a new guidebook, ``Personal 
                Safety for Children: A Guide for Parents'' to teach 
                parents steps to improve their children's safety. Since 
                then, copies have been distributed to public and 
                private schools and public libraries throughout the 
                country, in both English and Spanish. In October 2002, 
                I convened the first White House Conference on Missing, 
                Exploited, and Runaway Children to promote public 
                awareness of the issues and to generate recommendations 
                and best practices from experts. And in December 2002, 
                I signed legislation creating the Dot Kids domain, a 
                child-friendly zone on the Internet. The sites on this 
                domain are monitored for content and safety, offering 
                parents peace of mind knowing that their children can 
                learn in a safe and healthy environment.

                Last month I signed the PROTECT Act, an important law 
                that provides valuable new ways to deter, investigate, 
                prosecute, and punish crimes against America's 
                children. The PROTECT Act also builds on my 
                Administration's ongoing efforts to expand and improve 
                the AMBER Alert program, which has become an 
                increasingly important tool to help rescue kidnapped 
                children by quickly getting key information about the 
                missing child and the suspect to the public. This law 
                formally establishes the Federal Government's role in 
                the AMBER Alert system and equips the Department of 
                Justice to help State and local officials develop, 
                enhance, and coordinate AMBER plans across America.

                Our Nation has come to know the names and faces of far 
                too many children because they have been the victims of 
                acts of cruelty and violence. These crimes break our 
                hearts and stir our anger. Our Nation shares the joy of

[[Page 31938]]

                the parents who are reunited with their children, and 
                prays with those who are still hoping and waiting. We 
                grieve with every family that has suffered the loss of 
                or injury to a child. We will continue the fight 
                against the threats that our children face.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim May 25, 2003, as National 
                Missing Children's Day. I call upon Americans to join 
                me in commemorating this observance by celebrating 
                those children who have been returned to their loved 
                ones, remembering those young people who are missing, 
                and continuing to work together on every front to 
                protect our children from those who would seek to harm 
                them.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-third day of May, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand three, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and twenty-seventh.

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 03-13576
Filed 5-28-03; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P