Attorney General Anne Lopez, the Hawai‘i Department of the Attorney General’s Missing Child Center - Hawai‘i (MCCH) and Hawai‘i Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force are pleased to announce the winner of the 2024 Hawaiʻi Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest for National Missing Children’s Day (May 25): Kiana Kon, a fifth grader of Nānākuli Hawai‘i.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s website states: “President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25, 1983, the first National Missing Children's Day in memory of Etan Patz, a 6- year-old boy who disappeared from a New York City street corner on May 25, 1979. Etan's killer was convicted in February 2017, but the case remains active because his body was never found. Each year, the Department of Justice commemorates Missing Children's Day by honoring the heroic and exemplary efforts of agencies, organizations, and individuals to protect children.” https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/nmcd/about-missing-childrensday. As the state winner, Kiana will receive a national award certificate from the U.S. Department of Justice and was entered in the 41st Annual National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest, a nationwide contest to promote awareness and engage students, parents, guardians, and teachers in discussions about child safety and prevention. Kiana’s poster is currently featured with other winning state posters on the U.S. Department of Justice website: https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/events/nmcd/2024-winning-stateposters.
The 41st Annual National Missing Children’s Day commemoration to honor the professionals and organizations dedicated to protecting missing children took place at the Office of Justice Programs in Washington D.C. on May 22, 2024. https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/events/nmcd/2024-national-missing-childrens-day
“We congratulate and thank Kiana and all of the contest participants for their exceptional creativity, thoughtfulness, and passion for this important cause,” says Attorney General Lopez. “We are grateful to the law enforcement officers, child protection professionals, and advocates across Hawai‘i who work so hard to keep our children safe and healthy.”
The MCCH operates as the state’s missing children clearinghouse, MAILE AMBER Alert coordinator and resource center for law enforcement, social services, and affected families. The ICAC Task Force is part of a cooperative nationwide network of ICAC Task Forces supported by the U.S. Department of Justice and dedicated to protecting children by investigating and prosecuting persons who victimize children in the online environment. Anyone with information regarding missing children or the exploitation of children is encouraged to contact your local police department or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
Original source can be found here.