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Minister for Justice the Hon. Michael Keenan and AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin encouraged Australians to continue their efforts to locate those still missing at the launch of International Missing Children’s Day 2015 today.The day will be recognised globally on Monday 25 May, with this year’s focus being on the safe location and recovery of children who have been abducted by a parent.Commissioner Colvin said the location and recovery of missing children, including those taken by a parent, is often a collaborative law enforcement and community effort.“The AFP has now listed children who have been abducted by a parent in a dedicated ‘Family Court’ tab on our missingpersons.gov.au website. I strongly encourage everyone to visit the page and provide information anonymously to Crime Stoppers if you are aware of a child’s location”International Missing Children’s Day commemorates missing children who have found their way home, remember those who have been victims of crime, and continue efforts to find those who are unfortunately still missing.“The AFP Facebook page will be encouraging the community to replace their profile picture with a ‘Help bring them home’ white balloon to raise awareness of missing children on the day. I encourage the community to support this and release a balloon of a missing child” said Commissioner Colvin.The AFP receives around 400 recovery orders from the Family Court of Australia each year. On average, 142 new Hague Convention applications are recorded by the Attorney-General’s Department, of which around half relate to children taken out of the country. “The issue of parental abductions is a sensitive one, and one that causes great emotional and psychological strain,” Commissioner Colvin said.“I congratulate all those involved—police, government agencies and non-for-profit organisations—for their tireless efforts in trying to locate all missing children around Australia and to help bring them home to their families. The AFP is committed to working with all our national and international partner agencies to ensure the safety of all Australian children.”Anyone with information relating to a missing child is urged to contact their local police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

In 2014 the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre's focus was on raising awareness within the community of the links between dementia and missing persons. Each year the we build awareness messaging around one of the key groups in the community most at risk of going missing.What can I do to help?If you are a carer of person suffering from dementia who may be at risk of wandering and going missing, consider whether registration in a safe return program, an ID bracelet or other means of identification may be suited to your situation.The NMPCC also encourages the carers of people with Dementia to consider ways to help those suffering from this illness. This year, the NMPCC has developed a range of merchandise specifically targeted at carers and dementia sufferers, with the theme of "Remembering".More informationFor more information on Dementia and Missing Persons, please view the following NMPCC fact sheets:Missing persons and dementia fact sheetMissing persons and dementia: Safer WalkingMissing persons and dementia: WanderingFor more information on Alzheimer's and Dementia contact Dementia Australia or call the dementia helpline on 1800 100 500