Approximately 460,000 children were listed as missing in 2015. Children reported as missing have circumstances that vary from family abductions, stranger abductions, and kidnappings. Fortunately, as much as 99% of children reported missing in America make it back home.

It is important to equip children with the right information about the possible dangers they might encounter. Make your children aware of avoiding busy roadways, not talking to strangers, embracing situational awareness, etc. In recognition of May’s Missing Children’s Day, here are some tips to consider to protect your children.

• Inform children about stranger danger.
• Keep tabs on your kids at home and while they’re away with friends.
• In addition to knowing where they are, know where they plan on going.
• For those parents that embrace technology, there are apps available that add tracking and monitoring capabilities to phones. If your children are too young for a phone, there are smartwatches and other devices that can provide GPS information, too.
• Go over the “off-limits” areas of your neighborhood or city.

Missing Children’s Day was commemorated in the US in 1983. It is a reminder for parents to educate their children. The day coincides with International Missing Children’s Day, a joint venture of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children and the US’s National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.