US Government refuses to release data that could locate missing children

The United States government, by its own admission, has IRS tax data that could be helpful in tracking down thousands of missing children. The information is not forthcoming because taxpayer privacy laws severely restrict the release of information from tax returns. An I.R.S. spokeperson said: “We will do whatever we can within the confines of the law to make it easier for law enforcement to find abducted children” The privacy laws were enacted to prevent Watergate-style abuses of confidential taxpayer information. There are specific exceptions allowing the I.R.S. to turn over information in child support cases and to help federal agencies determine whether an applicant qualifies for income-based federal benefits.  However, because of guidelines in the handling of criminal cases, there are several obstacles for parents and investigators pursuing a child abductor — even when the taxpayer in question is a fugitive and the subject of a felony warrant. It seems wrong that some federal laws seemed more concerned with the privacy of a fugitive than the safety of children. “When your kids are taken from you, the hardest part is at night, thinking about them going to sleep. You wonder who’s tucking them in, who will hug them if they have a bad dream or taking them to the bathroom if they wake up. And you ask yourself whether you’ve done everything possible to find them.” For the full story see NY Times

Father arrested after wandering child is found

A wandering child was found on a street in Lantana at around 9:28 a-m. He was barefoot, wearing Thomas the Tank Engine pyjamas and had a temporary tattoo on his left arm. It was not until noon that his grandmother showed up, saying that there had been a mix-up with who was supposed to be watching the child. She thought that her son, the boy's father, had him, while he thought that she was taking care of him. Investigators say they arrested the boy's father soon after the boy was found and charged him with child neglect.  He reportedly said that he checked on his child who was asleep before he went to work, then left, assuming his roommate would watch the child.  He made no further attempt to contact his roommate or anyone else in the household to make sure the child would be supervised. Original report from News Channel 5

Posters of missing children may not help kids in danger

Two thousand children are reported missing every day. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children the best way to find them is to place high visibility missing persons posters.  NBC Connecticut went undercover to conduct an experiment into the usefulness of such posters and found that they often go unnoticed.  A reporter place missing child signs at a Market then the "missing" six year old girl in the poster walked around the same store with her dad for an hour.   Most store visitors didn't even notice the missing child signs. The shoppers who did see the posters, including some who took take a closer look, walked right by the girl.  Several people even talked to the girl and her dad, and yet still nobody realised the connection.  One lady said she noticed the little girl, but assumed she was okay because she didn't seem distraught. Police say this kind of mistake can be costly. Abducted children don't always act like they're in danger.  Often, they will have been lied to by their abductor and may therefore be unaware that they are in danger. It's a very disturbing lesson for us all. There is hope that child tracking devices may provide at least some answer to these problems.  However, education of the general public is also important if safety measures are not to be in vain. The original story can be found at msnbc

First there was child audio surveillance - now there is Visual Surveillance too

Voice surveillance is a feature of child tracking devices that has recently been discussed at childtracking.org.  Now it seems that technology is taking the next logical step with Visual Surveillance being added to the list of features. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have created a new child tracking device that will also allow parents to remotely see what their child is viewing.  In addition to existing child tracking device features, it will also monitor their pulse. When the child's heart rate is faster than usual, an instant photo is taken from the child's  point-of-view.  The parent is then alerted to access an activity log on a website where they can see photos taken during the day. So, is this a step too far?  Is it a feature you would welcome, or could it be misused by paedophiles.  Would you be happy knowing that other children in your child's school was wearing such a device?

Kidnap of children by strangers is NOT Child Abduction

According to a definition of Child Abduction by the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police Ministry of Foreign Affairs "A typical example of child abduction is when a parent removes a child from a country unlawfully, i.e. in contravention of the other parent’s custody rights. A child can also be retained abroad unlawfully following a lawful stay (e.g. for holiday or access purposes). The rules on child abduction and retention are identical, and the term child abduction is therefore used for both. In most cases, the child is abducted by one of the parents, although the same rules apply to abduction by grandparents or other relatives. Cases where a child is kidnapped by strangers, including where a ransom is demanded, do not constitute child abduction as defined here." The full text can be found here