Since President Ronald Reagan first proclaimed May 25 as National Missing Children's Day in 1983, Americans have marked this occasion by renewing their commitment to the recovery of missing children.

On May 25, 2011, Deputy Attorney General James Cole addressed the Department of Justice's observance. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's (OJJDP's) Acting Administrator Jeff Slowikowski; founder and director of Christopher's Clubhouse, Mika Moulton; and President and CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Ernie Allen, also offered remarks.

The ceremony honored the extraordinary efforts of those working selflessly to return abducted children to their homes. Additionally, the national winner of OJJDP's annual Missing Children's Day Poster Contest, Julianna Hinton, from Hattiesburg, MS, was recognized.

During the observance, OJJDP released Spanish translations of two publications related to missing children:

"Cuando su hijo ha desaparecido: Una guía de supervivencia para la familia" is a Spanish translation of When Your Child Is Missing: A Family Survival Guide (4th edition).

"El delito del secuestro familiar: La perspectiva de hijos y padres" is a Spanish translation of The Crime of Family Abduction: A Child's and Parent's Perspective.

Resources:

See DOJ's press release at www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/May/11-dag-678.html.

For information about OJJDP's 2011 National Missing Children's Day Poster Contest, visit http://www.ojjdp.gov/programs/postercontest.