WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate passed a resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) recognizing the 40^th anniversary of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), the nation's leading child protection organization:

John and Revé Walsh Founded NCMEC Following Their Son’s Tragic Murder

“40 years ago John and Revé Walsh, along with other advocates for children, founded the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, whose mission is to serve as the leading nonprofit organization in the United States to help locate missing children and combat child sexual exploitation... John and Revé Walsh’s son Adam was tragically murdered following an unconscionable abduction, leading them to a lifetime of advocacy on behalf of missing and exploited children.”

NCMEC Serves as a Clearinghouse for Information Related to Missing and Exploited Children

“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… The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, in coordination with Federal, State, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies, provides a critical response to help in locating missing children, responds to reports of child sexual exploitation, and distributes posters of missing children to the public.”

NCMEC Has Helped Recover Nearly 500,000 Missing Children and Is Essential to Combating Sexual Exploitation of Children

“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… Since its founding, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has received more than 5,600,000 calls to its 24-hour call center… Since its inception in 1998, the CyberTipline has received 200,000,000 reports of child sexual exploitation, which the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children reviews and makes available to international, Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Pro- gram, for their review and handling… For over 40 years, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has been essential to combating the sexual exploitation of children in the United States and has served as a critical resource to children, parents, and law enforcement.”