05 LC 19
6401
House
Resolution 141
By:
Representative Brooks of the
63rd
A
RESOLUTION
Declaring
February 7-12, 2005, as "Hand in Hand with Children: Guiding and Protecting
Week"; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
the problem of missing children is complex and multifaceted, falling into
several categories including family abductions; endangered runaways; nonfamily
abductions; and lost, injured, or otherwise missing children; and
WHEREAS,
there are nearly 800,000 children reported missing each year, with an average of
over 2,100 reported missing to law enforcement agencies each day;
and
WHEREAS,
58,200 children were victims of nonfamily abductions in a one-year period of
time; however, the percentage of minority children among missing children
appears slightly higher than their percentage in the United States population;
and
WHEREAS,
sex is the motivation for 69 percent of the offenses in which children are
abducted and murdered and when death is the outcome, 91 percent of the victims
were slain within 24 hours of the abduction. Furthermore, researchers have
found that in 40 percent of these cases, there are "unknowing witnesses" with
information that may be crucial to the resolution of the investigation; and the
number of reported cases of child sexual exploitation is on the rise;
and
WHEREAS,
the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the Georgia
Conference of Black Mayors (GCBM) formed a partnership to conduct a weeklong
demonstration project in the cities of Atlanta, Barnesville, Macon,
Milledgeville, and Savannah, entitled "Hand in Hand with Children: Guiding and
Protecting," designed to educate parents and children about ways to keep
children safe, encourage communities to take an active role in helping to
protect children, and to teach children fun ways to remain safe.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that this body agrees
that the problems of missing and exploited children are grave concerns to the
state and the nation; and the consequences of these actions against children
threaten the foundation of our country's existence.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives hereby declares the week
of February 7-12, 2005, as "Hand in Hand with Children: Guiding and Protecting
Week" and supports national, state, and local efforts aimed at educating
families and communities about the perils of missing and exploited children,
what protective measures families should take to keep their children safe, and
how to respond and seek help from law enforcement agencies and social services
when needed.