Memphis Standard

The Senate has passed a resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal, marking the 40th anniversary of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). This organization is recognized as a leading entity in child protection across the United States.

John and Revé Walsh founded NCMEC following the tragic murder of their son Adam, who was abducted. The couple's advocacy work led to the establishment of this nonprofit organization dedicated to locating missing children and combating child sexual exploitation.

"As a result of the tireless advocacy of the Walshes and countless others, in 1984, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children was established to serve as the clearinghouse for information relating to missing and exploited children in the United States and as a resource for parents, children, and law enforcement," said Senators Blackburn and Blumenthal. They highlighted that NCMEC works closely with federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies.

Over its four-decade history, NCMEC has played a significant role in recovering nearly 500,000 missing children. It has received more than 200 million reports related to suspected child sexual exploitation. Since its founding, NCMEC's call center has fielded over 5.6 million calls. The CyberTipline, operational since 1998, has been instrumental in reviewing millions of reports which are then shared with various law enforcement agencies.

"Over the last 40 years, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has assisted law enforcement in the recovery of over 448,000 children and has received 200,000,000 reports relating to suspected child sexual exploitation," stated Blackburn and Blumenthal. They emphasized that NCMEC continues to be essential in combating child sexual exploitation within the United States.