[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 117, 108th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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 vio

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lence. These crimes break our hearts and stir our anger. Our Nation
shares the joy of 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.
GEORGE W. BUSH