Today, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) issued the following statement on National Missing Children's Day:
Today, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) issued the following statement on National Missing Children’s Day:
“Since 1983, May 25 has been a day when we express our vigilance to keep our children safe. While we have made some progress over the past three decades, with the establishment of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the creation of the AMBER Alert, sadly, we still have cases of children who are abducted, raped, sexually abused and murdered.
“In District 17, we remember Rilya Wilson, a beautiful four-year-old girl who went missing in 2001 while her foster mother, Geralyn Graham, continued to collect payments from the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) for 15 months after her disappearance. We must ensure that another tragedy like this never happens again, which is why I introduced the Rilya Wilson Act in December 2011. The Rilya Wilson Act would ensure that every state has a procedure in place to promptly report the disappearance of foster children.
“It is in Rilya’s memory that I am marking this National Missing Children’s Day, and I hope that one day we will not need to have such a day.”
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Rep. Frederica S. Wilson is a first-term Congresswoman representing the 17th District of Florida, including Northern Miami-Dade and Southeast Broward Counties. A former state legislator and school principal, she is the founder of the 5000 Role Models for Excellence Project, a mentoring program for young males at risk of dropping out of school.
