Government establishes online resource for parents of missing children
Posted May 24, 2011 3:57 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA, Ont. – Families of missing children have a new source to turn to as they search for their loved ones.
Missingkids.ca is an online resource centre which explains the proper steps for parents to take if their children go missing, helping them to begin their own investigations.
Linked with the RCMP’s national database, it allows people to submit tips for certain cases, and search for information on missing children, including how to access social network sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.
“If we look at runaway kids, they’re all completely connected in some way or another,” Lianna McDonald, Executive Director for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, told 680News. “They’re communicating with people, so we’re really helping families navigate through that, providing advice to them and ways to reach out for their children.”
According to Justice minister Rob Nicholson, the tool could help in unsolved cases.
“It’s my hope that the Canadians will tune into this, and if they have any information, they’ll provide that information.”
“It’s amazing,” said a mother whose son went missing in 1991 from a Victoria playground. “I’m hoping that it will bring forth the tips that we need to bring closure.”
Diana Bowlins, whose three sons were taken by her ex-husband in 1993, said it is amazing to have all the information in one spot.
“I need everybody’s help. I can’t do this alone. It’s a big world out there.”
In 2009 alone, more than 50,000 missing children reports filed in Canada. Two thirds of the cases were runaways.
