Conceptualizing the Missing Child Problem

Although the concept of a missing child may seem readily understandable, especially in cases that come to media attention, a careful examination shows that the notion is actually quite complex. A child can become missing because of a variety of circumstances, such as running away, being abducted, or being delayed by a mishap on the way home. Even simple misunderstandings about schedules and miscommunications about plans and activities can cause a child to be missing. The situations that can cause a child to become missing stem from different sources and require different means of resolution.

Fundamentally, whether a child is “missing” depends on the knowledge and state of mind of the child’s caretaker, rather than the child’s actual condition or circumstance. From the caretaker’s point of view, the child is not where the caretaker expects the child to be, the caretaker does not know the child’s location, and these circumstances raise concern about the child’s well-being. Despite this concern, a missing child may not be in any peril whatsoever, as in the case where the child and parent have had a miscommunication about the time the child is expected to arrive home.

The term “missing children” is also used to mean children who are being sought by the police and missing children’s agencies. This conception of missing children relates to the resources needed by organizations, both public and private, to locate children. The subset of children reported missing by their caretakers for the purpose of locating them provides one measure of the demand on law enforcement because, like reported crimes, missing person reports contribute to the volume of cases the police must deal with. Contacting the police to report a missing child does not necessarily measure the seriousness of the episode itself. Rather, it measures the caretaker’s assessment of the need for law enforcement assistance.