AMERICA’S MISSING FOSTER CHILDREN
20,000 children go missing from the child protection system every year. Many of these children are never found by law enforcement, but they are found by sex traffickers and predators. The Missing Foster Children reforms work together to protect children with mandatory immediate reporting of missing children, new ID tools for law enforcement, education for foster kids about child predators, and strong criminal penalties for adults who abuse children.
MODEL LAWS
- PHOTO IDENTIFICATION: Free state photo identification cards for all children in foster care; photo ID cards
for children in group homes are mandatory. Law enforcement reports that having a current photo is critical to finding children quickly. - CHILD PREDATOR EDUCATION: Requires the state to provide children in foster care with information about online predators and other forms of trafficking and predation.
- KEEP COURT CASES OPEN: A missing child’s court case must stay open.
- MANDATORY REPORTING: Requires child protection agencies to report a missing foster child to law enforcement and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) within two hours. Requires law enforcement to enter the child’s information into state and national missing person databases within two hours.
- KEEP COURT CASES OPEN: A missing child’s court case must stay open.
- STRONGER CRIMINAL PENALTIES: Foster parents and group home employees who exploit children will face stronger criminal penalties.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- 20,000 children go missing from the child protection system every year.
- America’s child sex trafficking trade is fueled by missing foster children.
- Searches for missing children must be mandatory.
“No one looks for us. I really want to make this clear. No one looks for us.” - T. Ortiz Walker Pettigrew
Ms. Pettigrew went missing from foster care when she was 10 years old. Her kidnapper raped, beat and sold her for sex across the western United States. T escaped at 17 and is now a child and human rights advocate.