Nearly 80 per cent of all missing children are found

EVERY five hours, a child goes missing in South Africa, according to the Missing Persons Bureau.

In 2013 they recorded 1 697 cases of missing children reported to the South African Police Service.

A major role player in finding missing people today, is Missing Children SA, which has an overall success rate of 53 per cent.

From December 1 last year until the end of August this year, 441 missing people were reported to the organisation, of which 235 had been found.

Of those reported missing, 299 were adults and 142 children. A total of 124 adults and 111 children were found.

These figures are only based on cases reported to Missing Children SA and do not reflect all the cases reported to the police.

For the children’s cases alone, Missing Children SA’s success rate is 78 per cent. It is an unfortunate reality that four per cent of the children found, were found deceased.

Most children reported missing fall in the age group 13-17 years (74.6 per cent), followed 7-12 years (14.2 per cent) and 0-6 years (11.2 per cent).

About Missing Children SA

Missing Children SA is a registered NPO and PBO that assists the authorities when an individual goes missing in South Africa, for any reason whatsoever.

They work closely with the South African Police Service and other government bodies as well as other NGOs and private initiatives.

Its first tier is that of an emergency response service. They have a national helpline for incident reports and callers are advised on which immediate steps to take in logging the incident officially so as to ensure efficient and timeous action.

Secondly, by activating a vast national social and media network, they distribute flyers of missing children, creating mass awareness of the individual and maximising the chances of that child being recovered.

Lastly, since prevention is the most efficient way to keep our children safe, they strive to educate both parents/guardians and children on the dangers of abduction and human trafficking. They also liaise with investigating officers to ensure a continuous flow of information between the parents and authorities.

Their website www.missingchildren.org.za acts as an emergency report facility as well as being a platform for informational and educational material with regards to child safety.

Some General Safety Tips:

There is NO WAITING PERIOD for reporting a person missing to the nearest police station.

Should you report a person to the police station and the police officer tells you to come back after 24 hours, demand to speak to the station commander. Or, alternatively, contact Missing Children SA and the organisation will intervene and assist wherever possible.

When reporting a person missing at a police station, the following information will be required along with a recent photograph:

Full name of missing person

Age of missing person

Description of missing person

Eye colour

Hair colour/style

Height

Weight

Distinctive marks – scars/birthmarks

Where was the person last seen

Clothes the person was wearing

Missing Children SA has an informal document that serves as a guideline to parents about what will be needed by the police when a child goes missing. They call it the Interim ID Kit. It can be downloaded from the website or an electronic copy can be emailed.

To report a missing person, go to www.missingchildren.org.za/page/report.

Contact Details for Missing Children SA:

Emergency Number: 072MISSING / 072 647 7464

General Enquiries/Office: 021 950 1546