Hope the only refuge for parents of missing kids

Even today, more than five decades later, weighed down by the stress of the years, Sherwood's mother is waiting for her little boy to come home… at 62 years old. That's why she hasn't moved, or changed her phone number, in over 50 years. The oldest active missing-child case in Canada is still waiting for a happy ending.

For Missing Children's Network of Quebec director general Pina Arcamone, who saw Clifford's mother become a volunteer for the organization, that's the testament of a mother's love for her child. The testimony of an unbreakable bond.

Dozens of other parents feel her pain. None have been for as long, but regardless of the length of the separation, every minute remains a minute apart.

Today, more than 110 missing-child files are active with the Missing Children's Network, involving kids from Quebec, other provinces, the United States and Europe, 50 of which were opened in 2007.

The large majority of the 7,137 disappearances reported in 2006 – about 6,000 – are classified as runaways. "We know a runaway has a tendency to go back, so when that happens, parents need to listen and find out the source of the problem, so when a child comes home, they don't try to run away a second time," she said.

Other than runaways, Quebec has seen 11 kidnappings and 78 parental abductions in the last year.

The statistics just reinforce Arcamone's conviction that parents and children alike are educated on prevention – a primary concern for the Missing Children's Network.

"For parents who have been waiting 50 years, 20 years, or 10 years, those are very hard days. The whole family cell is affected. Our mission is to help support those families and give them the necessary assistance. But one very important aspect that we have developed is prevention. Preventing kids from running away and preventing criminal and parental kidnappings," she said.

Arcamone knows parents who are personally affected by the constant stress and worry, not content to live without their children. Frequently, the organization refers them to specialized resources to help them take care of themselves, and above all, the rest of their family. Parents who have gone that way know it's a hard time.

"I was impressed by the courage and the determination shown by the father of Cédrika Provencher. We talked for a long time. He's not going to give up hope, and you can't, because we don't know exactly what happened or where she might be. Parents have to hang on to hope with a lot of determination," Arcamone said.

"On the criminal level, the big period is the springtime, when kids start playing outside again. Summer, as well. Children spent the winter inside and are eager to go outside. Unfortunately, pedophiles are impatient as well," she said.

In addition to giving parents and kids tips on avoiding abduction issues, the organization visits schools to help out kids with the tools necessary to ask good questions and keep themselves concerned about their own safety.

(Photos: Courtesy)