In After Etan, author Lisa Cohen draws on hundreds of interviews and nearly twenty years of research—including access to the personal files of the Patz family—to reveal, for the first time, the entire dramatic tale of Etan's disappearance: "A masterful combination of deep human interest and detailed criminal investigation into a parent's worst nightmare" (Kirkus Reviews, Starred). On the morning of May 25, 1979, six-year-old Etan Patz left his apartment to go to his school bus stop. It was the first time he had ever walked the two short blocks on his own. But he never made it to school that day. He vanished somewhere between his home and the bus stop, and was never seen again. The search for Etan quickly consumed the downtown Manhattan neighborhood where his family lived. Soon afterward, "Missing" posters with Etan's smiling face blanketed the city, followed by media coverage that turned Etan's disappearance into a national story-one that would change our cultural landscape forever. Thirty years later, in Etan's honor, May 25 is recognized as National Missing Children's Day. But despite the overwhelming publicity his case received, the public knows only a fraction of what happened. That's because the story of Etan Patz is more than a heartbreaking mystery. It is also the story of the men, women, and children who were touched by his life in the months and years after he vanished. It's the story of the agonies and triumphs of the Patz family, as well as the story of the extraordinary twists and turns of federal prosecutor Stuart GraBois's relentless pursuit of his prime suspect. From GraBois's creative "outside the box" tactics, to the veteran cop who made his first pedophile bust on a dark Times Square rooftop, to the FBI rookie who cut her teeth chasing the case through the dark recesses of a child molester's mind, this is the story of all the heroic investigators who, to this day, continue to seek justice for Etan.

various causes of children going missing include forced labour, commercial sexual exploitation, begging, organ trade, medical testing etc. Abandonment, animosity, natural calamities, etc., also result in a child going missing. Nevertheless, a child missing is not considered in the legal system as a heinous crime resulting in large number of cases either not being registered or with little investigation and follow up. The study says that the possible reasons that contribute to the lack-lustre law enforcement include gaps in policy, knowledge, resources, institutional capacity and commitment / political will. Based on the gaps, the study recommends a highly skilled investigation and rapid response agency/task force on missing children, formation of National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and establishment of a centralized data bank. The study has also recommended development of a Standard Operating Procedure for investigation and proposed a definition of Missing Children and policy guidelines on trafficking and missing children.

This book examines the modern pandemic of online child sexual exploitation (OCSE). It explores the prevalence, perpetration, impact, and victimization of as well as therapy for child sexual exploitation and its interaction with child sexual abuse. Chapters discuss OCSE from neuropsychological, epidemiological, neurological, behavioral, psychological, clinical, neurobiological and epigenetic perspectives. The volume also addresses the physical and mental impact of early exposure to pornography. The book serves as a resource on an issue that is proving exponentially complex as technology ceaselessly evolves at a faster rate than its consequences can be understood and addressed. Key areas of coverage include: Neuropsychological changes and dysfunctional coping mechanisms resulting from both online and offline child sexual abuse. The psychological, emotional, and physical impacts (e.g., depression, anxiety, PTSD, and self-harm) of child sexual abuse. Prevention and early intervention strategies, including scalable technological responses. Developing a public health approach to preventing and addressing online child abuse and exploitation. Porn culture and its impact on children, adolescents, and emerging adults. The neurobiology and epigenetic impact of trauma. This book is a must-have resource for researchers, clinicians, and graduate students in child and school psychology, public health, social work as well as interrelated disciplines, including neuropsychology, neurobiology, sociology, anthropology, and educational policy and politics.

Beginning with Etan Patz's disappearance in Manhattan in 1979, a spate of high-profile cases of missing and murdered children stoked anxieties about the threats of child kidnapping and exploitation. Publicized through an emerging twenty-four-hour news cycle, these cases supplied evidence of what some commentators dubbed "a national epidemic" of child abductions committed by "strangers." In this book, Paul M. Renfro narrates how the bereaved parents of missing and slain children turned their grief into a mass movement and, alongside journalists and policymakers from both major political parties, propelled a moral panic. Leveraging larger cultural fears concerning familial and national decline, these child safety crusaders warned Americans of a supposedly widespread and worsening child kidnapping threat, erroneously claiming that as many as fifty thousand American children fell victim to stranger abductions annually. The actual figure was (and remains) between one hundred and three hundred, and kidnappings perpetrated by family members and acquaintances occur far more frequently. Yet such exaggerated statistics-and the emotionally resonant images and narratives deployed behind them-led to the creation of new legal and cultural instruments designed to keep children safe and to punish the "strangers" who ostensibly wished them harm. Ranging from extensive child fingerprinting drives to the milk carton campaign, from the AMBER Alerts that periodically rattle Americans' smart phones to the nation's sprawling system of sex offender registration, these instruments have widened the reach of the carceral state and intensified surveillance practices focused on children. Stranger Danger reveals the transformative power of this moral panic on American politics and culture, showing how ideas and images of endangered childhood helped build a more punitive American state.

Every day people go missing. Some run away, some are kidnapped, some are the victims of foul play. This book examines true stories of missing persons and their families alongside the various resources available to them.

Concern about missing and exploited children gained national prominence in 1981 when Adam Walsh, the 6-year-old son of John and Reve Walsh was abducted and subsequently found murdered. A year later, with the help of other parents of abducted children, the Walshes worked for the passage of the Missing Children's Act of 1982 and later for the Missing Children's Assistance Act of 1984, to assist in recovering such children and bringing perpetrators to justice. The Missing, Exploited and Runaway Children Protection Act that was instituted in 1999 reauthorised and amended the Missing Children's Assistance Act of 1984. This book presents an overview of the issues that face the legislation pertaining to missing and exploited children. In addition, the book discusses the various efforts that are being taken to enhance the ability to locate the missing children. Contents: Preface; Missing and Exploited Children: Overview and Policy Concerns; The Missing, Exploited and Runaway Children Protection Act (MERCPA): Appropriations and Reauthorisation; Bibliography; Index.

Guides readers to take deep breaths, think about the positive aspects of life, and talk with someone they trust when they feel like running away.