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Confronting Your Worst Nightmare

3 Steps to Child Safety

By Melanie VanNuys

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3. Expect the Unexpected
The first three hours after a child has been abducted are the most critical. "Parents should have steps to take if their son or daughter is missing to act quickly," says O'Brien.

If your child doesn't show up when you expect him or her, pick up the phone and get dialing. This should be an easy step if you are keeping close tabs on your kids, knowing exactly where they are and who they are with. O'Brien takes knowing your child's whereabouts a step further, saying you should have their friends' phone numbers and even their friends' parents' cell phone numbers if possible.

If after calling your child's friends, you still haven't found your son or daughter, contact the authorities immediately! You will provide basic information: a recent picture, height, weight, eye color, hair color, clothes they were last wearing and the time they were last seen. All of this is crucial and necessary before an Amber Alert can be issued. The Amber Alert system is one of the latest and most innovative tools in fighting child abduction. "AMBER" is an acronym for America's Missing Broadcast Emergency Response and was created as a legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, and then brutally murdered. Having your child's information readily available, will help authorities launch the Amber Alert system more quickly, which increases the chance of finding your child unharmed.

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