It’s 10:00 PM. Do you know where your children are?
Do you remember that ad? It was on TV every night, back in the days when we had 13 channels to choose from. An announcer would say: It’s 10:00 PM. Do you know where your children are? They made it scary (and a little racist) by having Grace Jones make the announcement in the 80’s. We use to joke about it and have a good laugh. Then came the kids on the milk cartons. To our cynical minds, it seemed trite. But, children still go missing to this day. And, it’s actually a lot scarier than we thought. Today is missing Children day. This is not something to celebrate. But, it is something to be aware of.
When kids on cartons and PSA’s were on TV, most people were concerned about their kids partying or running away from home. The evolution of human trafficking has made those concerns almost trivial. I don’t think we even had a concept of international sex traffic in those days. We talked about being kidnapped in an abstract form. But, the reality was far worse than we ever imagined and the tameness of those ads served to under report what could be a serious problem. It’s not like child and human exploitation and slavery is a new thing. It’s been going on for centuries. But, modern technology and communication has given us a greater awareness.
You should be afraid. It’s 10:00 PM. Do you know where your children are?
We used to think human trafficking was something that happened in Shanghai, hence the term being Shanghaied. It was a nefarious plot by unscrupulous characters in a distant land. It was a way to get sailors for pirate ships. Well, guess what. It happens right here. And, it’s not just derelicts being snatched from the docks. Children and adults can easily be lured into dangerous and unimaginable situations. You could get a text from someone you think is a friend, asking you to meet somewhere. People can easily hack and mimic devices. You go to meet them and end up as an international sex slave or in a pedophilia ring. Or, dead.
PSA’s don’t capture the gravity of missing children. But, the milk cartons had the right concept. Unfortunately, no one really paid attention to the pictures. Please, be aware of the horrible issue. since 1983, our government honors the people who work to find missing children on this day. But, there isn’t much information on what we can do to help. Pay attention to amber alerts and contact local agencies to ask what you can do. It could be a matter of life or death. Just being aware and knowing what to look for can make a difference. It’s not just a scary clown in an ice cream truck. It’s 10:00 PM. Do you know where your children are?
