On May 25, 1979, six-year-old Etan Patz left his New York City home to walk to the school bus stop. He never made it there. Etan’s disappearance stunned the nation and started a much-needed conversation about child safety.
Long before there were Amber Alerts or viral social media posts, Etan’s photo became one of the first to appear on milk cartons, putting a human face on a growing crisis. His case led to major shifts in public awareness and child protection policies. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25 as National Missing Children’s Day in Etan’s honor—a time to remember children who are still missing and to renew our commitment to finding them.
In 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) assisted with 29,568 cases of missing children. Some have been abducted. Others have run away. All of them face heightened risks of trafficking and exploitation, especially the longer they remain disconnected from family, school, or community.
Of those situations, 1 in 7 had likely experienced sex trafficking. The risk is even greater for children in the child welfare system: nearly 1 in 5 of those reported missing was believed to have experienced sex trafficking.
No single organization can tackle this challenge alone.
At the Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP), part of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), we know this crisis is too big for any one agency to solve alone. That’s why collaboration is central to our work.
We’re proud to be a part of the Federal Agency Task Force on Missing and Exploited Children, led by the Department of Justice. This task force brings federal partners together to strengthen our collective response when children go missing or are at risk of exploitation.
Within ACF, OTIP works side by side with offices like the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families, which includes the Children’s Bureau and the Family and Youth Services Bureau, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and the Administration for Native Americans. These partnerships help us support communities in identifying and helping children who are missing from care and may be vulnerable to trafficking.
We also have a long-standing partnership with NCMEC, an organization at the forefront of child protection. In March, Acting Assistant Secretary for Children and Families Andrew Gradison visited NCMEC to see their work up close. He met with their leadership team to talk through shared priorities: advanced analytics for tracking missing children, support for unaccompanied minors, and data related to children missing from care.
At OTIP, we’re committed to partnerships and funding that make a difference.
OTIP invests in programs to protect missing children from trafficking.
We invest in programs across the country that prevent trafficking and support children who’ve gone missing from care.*
One of those key efforts is the National Human Trafficking Hotline. When a tip comes in about a missing child at risk of trafficking, the Hotline quickly mobilizes—alerting law enforcement and partners like NCMEC.
- In one case, a report about a missing child in a suspected labor trafficking situation sparked coordination between law enforcement in two states. The child was safely recovered and returned to his caregiver.
- In another, a tip led to the recovery of two girls who had been targeted online, flown across state lines, and sexually exploited. The perpetrator was caught and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
We also fund the Human Trafficking Youth Prevention Education (HTYPE) Demonstration Program, which helps train school staff to recognize potential trafficking situations and know how to respond. In one recent example, a mother, fearing her daughter was being exploited, moved out of state. But the trafficker convinced the girl to return. When the mother shared her concerns with school staff—who had been trained through the HTYPE program—they acted quickly. Law enforcement was contacted, the child was safely recovered, the traffickers were arrested, and the student was re-enrolled in school with access to school-based mental health support.
HTYPE recipients also take proactive steps behind the scenes. One school district reviews state notifications about children who may have been abducted or exploited and then cross-checks school records for additional trafficking indicators. When there’s cause for concern, they reach out to families to begin supportive, trauma-informed conversations. This strategic approach helps families better understand what their child may be going through and ensures that, when children return home, they’re met with care, stability, and the support they need to heal.
Our Aspire: Child Trafficking Victim Assistance Demonstration Program offers trauma-informed care to children and youth who have experienced trafficking. This nationwide network connects federal, state, and local partners to provide safety and healing.
- In one instance, a child who fled a caregiver’s home was eventually found by a relative who refused to stop searching. It was confirmed the child had been trafficked and needed urgent care. Aspire providers stepped in with immediate support, including safety planning, behavioral health treatment, and long-term care plans.
- Another young person who had run away to a different state was trafficked by a criminal organization. She was located through a federal investigation and safely returned home. OTIP worked alongside federal law enforcement, state child welfare agencies, and our Aspire program partners to help her safety plan, enroll in school, recover her identity documents, and get connected with medical and mental health services.
As we observe National Missing Children’s Day, OTIP reaffirms its commitment to protecting children and youth from exploitation. We honor the tireless efforts of government agencies, nonprofits, private partners, and community organizations working every day to find missing children and bring them home. Together, we can build a future where every child is not only safe—but truly has the chance to thrive.
Resources:
- National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: 24/7 support for locating and assisting missing children.
- National Human Trafficking Hotline: 24/7 support and resources for individuals impacted by trafficking and for those who wish to report or prevent trafficking.
- National Runaway Safeline: 24/7 support for youth at risk of running away or experiencing homelessness.
*Some details have been modified to protect identity.