34 USC 11291 - Findings

U.S Code last checked for updates: Nov 22, 2024

§ 11291.

Findings

The Congress finds that—

(1)

each year tens of thousands of children run away, or are abducted or removed, from the control of a parent having legal custody without the consent of that parent, under circumstances which immediately place the child in grave danger;

(2)

many missing children are at great risk of both physical harm and sexual exploitation;

(3)

many missing children are runaways;

(4)

growing numbers of children are the victims of child sexual exploitation, including child sex trafficking and sextortion, increasingly involving the use of new technology to access the Internet;

(5)

children may be separated from their parents or legal guardians as a result of national disasters such as hurricanes and floods;

(6)

sex offenders pose a threat to children; and

(7)

the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention administers programs under this subchapter, including programs that prevent and address offenses committed against vulnerable children and support missing children’s organizations, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that—

(A)

serves as a nonprofit, national resource center and clearinghouse to provide assistance to victims, families, child-serving professionals, and the general public;

(B)

works with the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of State, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, other agencies, and nongovernmental organizations in the effort to find missing children and to prevent child victimization; and

(C)

coordinates with each of the missing children clearinghouses operated by the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and international organizations to transmit images and information regarding missing and exploited children to law enforcement agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and corporate partners across the United States and around the world instantly.

(Pub. L. 93–415, title IV, § 402, as added Pub. L. 98–473, title II, § 660, Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2125; amended Pub. L. 106–71, § 2(a), Oct. 12, 1999, 113 Stat. 1032; Pub. L. 108–96, title II, § 201, Oct. 10, 2003, 117 Stat. 1171; Pub. L. 110–240, § 2, June 3, 2008, 122 Stat. 1560; Pub. L. 113–38, § 2(a), Sept. 30, 2013, 127 Stat. 527; Pub. L. 115–267, § 2(a), Oct. 11, 2018, 132 Stat. 3756; Pub. L. 115–393, title II, § 202(a), Dec. 21, 2018, 132 Stat. 5267.)

cite as: 34 USC 11291