In Canada more than 300,000 children are abused and neglected each year.  These children have experienced things no child should ever have to experience.  Some have been victims of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, while others have been abandoned or exploited.  From a very young age, these children have experienced fear, mistrust and feelings of worthlessness.

MISSING CHILDREN IN ONTARIO - A GROWING SAFETY ISSUE

A missing child is every parent's worst nightmare. Of the 67,000 cases of missing children reported, Ontario had the highest proportion per capita at nearly 20,000. Child Find Ontario's caseload of missing children consists of runaways, parental abductions, stranger abductions and children who have become lost or separated from their families.

Our caseload has increased 45% year over year for the last two years. One in every seven teenagers will run away from home, predominantly 15 year-old females. And sadly, parental abductions are on the rise, taking place at an average of four times a week in Ontario. Hundreds of incidences have occurred involving children being abducted/lured away via the Internet. The issue of missing children affects families from all walks of life and our success is dependent upon a shared responsibility for the search, recovery and prevention process.

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