Hundreds Of Thousands Of Children Abducted By Non-Custodial Parent
By Amy E. Feldman
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Kids often hear about "stranger danger" and not getting into cars with people that they don't know. But statistics show that strangers are NOT the most frequent abductors. This is what you need to teach your children...
Sabrina Allen was four-years-old when her mother took her over the border to Mexico. It took 12 years for her father finally to track her down and bring her back to the United States. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, over 200,000 children were wrongfully taken NOT by a stranger, but by a noncustodial parent.
If you are the custodial parent and are worried that your children are in danger of being wrongly taken or kept by your ex, get a clear order from the court on custody and visitation. Avoid terms in a custody order like "reasonable visitation" - make it specific so you can go to court if it's violated.
You can request supervised visitation or bond.
Keep recent photos of your kids and your ex so that he or she can be recognized. Also, be sure to know your ex's his social security number. Tell the school or daycare and teach your child how to use a phone to call 911.