Backgrounder

From the Prime Minister's Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.ca/)

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Launch of MissingKids.ca

May 24, 2011
Ottawa, Ontario

Launched by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection on May 24, 2011, MissingKids.ca is a new website dedicated to providing vital information and assistance to parents of missing children. It is also a resource for law enforcement agencies across Canada that work tirelessly to reunite missing children with their families.

Every year, more than 50,000 children are reported missing in Canada. The MissingKids.ca website will act as a portal where communities and law enforcement can immediately access and/or share information on missing or abducted children, including Amber Alerts.

MissingKids.ca has four primary functions:

• To assist in the location of missing children;
  
• To provide educational materials to help prevent children from going missing;
  
• To be an information resource centre on missing children; and
  
• To coordinate efforts and assist stakeholders in the delivery of missing children services.

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection is a non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to the personal safety of all children. Its goal is to reduce child victimization by providing programs and services to the Canadian public.

Our Government has made tackling crime one of its highest priorities. Since 2006, our Government has passed a number of important measures to protect Canadian children, and to hold criminals accountable, including:

• Raising the age of consent to 16 years, to better protect 14- and 15-year olds from sexual predators;
  
• Strengthening the National Sex Offender Registry and the National DNA Data Bank, to better protect our children and our communities from sexual predators;
  
• Strengthening measures to protect children from online sexual exploitation; and
  
• Limiting the granting of pardons, to better reflect the severity of the crimes committed, especially sexual offences against children.

MissingKids.ca is being launched one day prior to National Missing Children's Day – a day to commemorate missing children who have been found, remember those who have been victims of crime and continue efforts to find those who are still missing.

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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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