Declare Missing Children's Day

May 25, 2018, as Missing Children's Day in the State of New York WHEREAS, The problem of missing children is complex and multifaceted; there are different types of missing children including family abductions, endangered runaways, non-family abductions, and lost, injured, or otherwise missing children; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim May 25, 2018, as Missing Children's Day in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance of International Missing Children's Day; and WHEREAS, Every day, all around the world, children go missing; International Missing Children's Day was established to help raise public awareness about these missing children and spread the message of hope among their families; and WHEREAS, International Missing Children's Day also aims to protect children around the world from going missing or being abducted by providing resources for governments, law enforcement, NGOs, and families on prevention as well as the appropriate actions to take in the event a child does go missing; and WHEREAS, National Missing Children's Day has been observed on May 25th in the United States since 1983; first proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan, this day is commemorated each year with the forget-me-not flower serving as its emblem; and WHEREAS, May 25th is the day 6-year-old Etan Patz disappeared from a New York street corner while on his way to school in 1979; this high profile case, along with the tragic abduction and murder of Adam Walsh in Florida, and the missing and murdered children in Atlanta, led to photographs of missing children on milk cartons and ultimately, a national movement; and WHEREAS, In 2001, May 25th was formally recognized as International Missing Children's Day, through a partnership with the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC), Missing Children Europe and the European Commission; and WHEREAS, Since 2009, ICMEC has been promoting International Missing Children's Day by circulating a unified global message of protecting our vulnerable children; each year the movement continues to grow, and more and more countries are joining together to advocate, train and collaborate to eradicate child abduction; and WHEREAS, International Missing Children's Day honors the national commitment to help locate and recover missing children by reminding parents, guardians, and trusted adult role models to make child safety a priority; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim May 25, 2018, as Missing Children's Day in the State of New York; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo.