International Missing Children's Day was observed for the first time in the United States on May 25. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed National Missing Children's Day recognizing the hundreds of thousands of children who went missing each year. Just a few short years before, in 1981, six-year-old Adam Walsh was abducted from a Florida shopping mall and later found brutally murdered. Besides, six-year-old Etan Patz disappeared from his New York City home on his way from the bus to school on May 25, 1979. The observance commemorated the date of Etan’s disappearance. In addition, it also honored missing children everywhere. Etan’s case quickly received much coverage. Etan’s father, a professional photographer, distributed black-and-white photographs of his son to find him. At the same time, Etan's photo has been displayed on screens in Times Square for years. Patz's body was never found despite a massive search. At that time, due to the lack of an official organization to search for missing children in the United States, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) was established by U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1984. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a private, non-profit corporation whose mission is to help find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization. NCMEC works with families, victims, private industry, law enforcement, and the public to assist with preventing child abductions, recovering missing children, and providing services to deter and combat child sexual exploitation.

In a short period, other European countries joined the United States. In 1997, the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) was established. ICMEC heads a global missing children's network of 30 countries. The organization has trained law enforcement personnel from 121 countries, works with law enforcement in over 100 countries, and has worked with legislatures in 100 countries to adopt new laws combating child sexual abuse material. In August 2008, ICMEC was granted "Special Consultative Status" by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), to assist the UN with its expertise regarding child sexual exploitation and child abduction. ICMEC also works with the intergovernmental organization INTERPOL, the inter-continental organization the Organization of American States (the OAS), and the Hague Conference on Private International Law.

Despite the presence of numerous organizations and agencies dedicated to child protection worldwide, millions of children around the world are subjected to various forms of abuse every year, including physical, sexual, emotional, and economic abuse. In some countries, the concealment of child abuse hinders objective investigations, and despite efforts made, the prevalence of abuse continues to increase day by day. According to the Council of Europe, one in every five children in Europe faces sexual violence. According to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in the United Kingdom, one in every 20 children in the country is subjected to sexual abuse. Although Switzerland has a population of 9.5 million, approximately 11,000 cases of child abuse are reported each year. According to a 2017 study by the World Health Organization, 23% of children worldwide are subjected to physical abuse, 26% to sexual abuse, and 36% to emotional abuse.

Human trafficking, child labor exploitation, and organ trafficking are indeed among the most pressing global issues humanity faces today. Despite international efforts to combat these negative occurrences, completely eradicating these problems remains challenging. Research indicates that globally, the trail of missing children is often traced back to organ trafficking networks because these networks are particularly interested in vulnerable children. The targeting of children by the organ mafia considered a highly profitable but illegal business, leads to the rapid and high-priced sale of their body parts in the "market." Additionally, child labor exploitation, as a form of human trafficking, is widespread worldwide today. Currently, there are 218,019 million children (13.8%) between the ages of 5 and 17 engaged in labor globally. In terms of the regional distribution of child labor, Africa ranks first, followed by Asia and the Pacific, America, Europe and Central Asia, with Arab countries in fifth place.

Despite the fact that we achieved our state independence in a very complicated socio-political and military situation, the protection of children's rights has always been a priority for our state. According to information from the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as a result of Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan, 3890 people have been registered as missing persons in the First Karabakh War. During the First Karabakh War, 210 children were killed, 270 children lost their health, and 92 children were taken hostage. Also, 3393 children lost one parent, and 120 children lost both. During the Second Karabakh War, which lasted for 44 days, the Armenian Armed Forces committed large-scale terrorist acts and military crimes against the peaceful population living in cities and towns far from the combat zones. As a result, 12 children were ruthlessly killed, 35 children sustained various degrees of injuries, 181 children lost one parent, 5 children lost both parents, and one family was completely annihilated. Furthermore, the aggressive occupying policy of Armenia did not stop there during the war. Upon facing defeat on the battlefield, the Armenian leadership resorted to recruiting children under the age of 15 for military operations without adhering to the "Convention on the Rights of the Child" (CRC) and the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict.

Today, Azerbaijan has established exemplary elements of preventing child abuse through its legislation and active intervention by state institutions, where the world often falls short in addressing the plight of children. Children in Azerbaijan are always treated with love, all conditions are provided for their health and education, as well as proper and patriotic upbringing. Since gaining independence, our country has taken even more serious steps to ensure the successful implementation of this policy. During his presidency, National Leader Heydar Aliyev made significant efforts to establish and implement child policies on more solid foundations. In 1992, Azerbaijan ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This Convention is one of the most important international documents protecting the rights of children adopted by our country. Azerbaijan has also acceded to two additional protocols of the relevant Convention, including "The Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption", "Minimum Age (Agriculture) Convention", "Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention", the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention) and other conventions. Based on the conventions ratified by the state, important reforms have been made in domestic legislation. The "Law on the Rights of the Child," adopted on May 19, 1998, regulates the rights and freedoms of children in the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as the fundamental directions of family, community, and child relations.

Under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev, the opportunities created for children and young people are continuously expanding. To realize these opportunities, modern schools, medical centers, and sports complexes are being constructed or renovated. The declaration of 2009 as the "Year of the Child" contributes to the implementation of important measures in this direction, focusing the attention of state bodies and civil society on solving children's problems. The Republic Forums of Children play a special role in increasing children's awareness of their rights and their participation in public life. Organized jointly by the State Committee for Family, Women, and Children Affairs, UNICEF, and with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, these Children's Forums have stimulated children's comprehensive development, their acquisition of scientific and cultural knowledge, and the formation of leadership qualities. During these forums, children take part in governance, engage in dialogue with relevant government officials on all issues that concern them, and present proposals to state authorities regarding the resolution of their problems. Ensuring the sustainable protection of children's rights is one of the most important issues today. The evasion of children in education, their involvement in labor, and other socio-psychological problems they encounter require increased parental responsibility. Taking these issues into consideration, the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan has made amendments to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Code of Administrative Offenses and increased parental responsibility. Ensuring that our children, who are the most valuable asset of our future, grow up as individuals who love their homeland and nation, overcome the challenges of life, make independent decisions, are broad-minded, selfless and talented, is the common task and goal of every Azerbaijani citizen.

Recommended literature:

1. Erməni terroru = Armenian terror = Армянский террор / Əsir və itkin düşmüş, girov götürülmüş vətəndaşlarla əlaqədar Dövlət Kommisiyası. - n. y. y. : [s. n.], n. i. y. - 45 s.
2. Terror : hadisələr, faktlar, sübutlar/[Əsir və itkin düşmüş, girov götürülmüş vətəndaşlarla əlaqədar Dövlət Komissiyası]. - Bakı: MBM, 2014. - 95 s.
3. Şükürbəyli, İlkin. (Qurbanov İlkin Faiq oğlu). Qətl edilmiş uşaqlar/ İ. Şükürbəyli, N. Faiqoğlu ; red. M. Çəmənli ; [Azərb. Resp. Əsir və İtkin düşmüş, girov götürülmüş vətəndaşlarla əlaqədar Dövlət Komissiyası]. - Bakı: Aspoliqraf, 2016. - 158 s.
4. Erməni əsirliyində: işgəncə və qətl antologiyası /tərt.: E. Səmədov, E. Vəliyev, C. Ağayev ; red.: B. Məmmədov, Y. İsmayılov, F. İsmayıllı ; [Əsir və itkin düşmüş, girov götürülmüş vətəndaşlarla əlaqədar Dövlət Komissiyası]. - Bakı: Təhsil, 2017. - 366 s.
5. Orucova, Esmira. Bizi əsirlikdən qurtarın /E.Orucova; Burax məsul. E.Mahmudov; Red. M.Cavadov; Tərt. ed. E.Orucova; Ön sözün müəll. C.Qasımov; Əsir və itkin düşmüş, girov götürülmüş vətəndaşlarla əlaqədar Dövlət Komissiyası. - Bakı: Qismət, 2006. - 680 s.