Senate Resolution No. 5301

BY: Senator PERSAUD

MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
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.