Tuesday, December 30, 1997
Statewide campaign reaches out to youth who
run away from home
By ANNA M. TINSLEY Scripps Howard Austin Bureau
AUSTIN - At least 111 Taylor County youths ran away from home
in 1996, becoming part of the 1.3 million children per year nationwide
who flee their homes.
Now a statewide campaign is reaching out to the 120,000 Texas
youths who run away in an effort to keep them from becoming another
statistic.
Each year, about 5,000 runaways in the country die from assault,
illness and suicide, according to statistics from the Texas Runaway
Hotline, an organization distributing flyers urging youths to
get help and not leave home.
"Runaway children are not running to something,"
said Jay Smith, director of the hotline sponsored by the Texas
Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. "More often
than not, they are running away from difficult family situations."
Some try to get away from abuse or drug problems at home; others
are kicked out by their parents. And some have problems they fear
their parents can't handle. So they leave.
The goal of the campaign is to educate Texans about the runaway
problem and what can be done to help. That message will be in
flyers and posters displayed at schools, truck stops, bus stations
and youth centers, as well as on billboards and in TV and radio
ads.
"This campaign is a public service announcement,"
Smith said. "We want to make the public more aware of the
runaway problem and also let youths and their families know that
our service is available to them. That way, they can reach out
when they do need the help."
Most runaways are found a few days after they leave home, according
to Child Quest International, a California-based non-profit group
that searches for missing, abused and exploited children.
Since 1990, the organization has found 2,264 missing children,
said John Mikodem, an investigator for the group.
"But there are cases where they run away for years. Generally,
if you find them in the first six months, everything is going
to be fine," he said. "But when kids run away, they're
subjected to a lot of drugs, prostitution, alcohol. They're usually
not eating well or taking medical care of themselves."
Mikodem said Texas' campaign to promote public awareness can
only help.
"Any campaign that will help get the children home is
great," he said.
The Texas hotline, originally named "Operation Peace of
Mind," was established in 1973 after police discovered the
remains of 27 young men who had been tortured and killed near
Houston.
Many of the victims were runaways, so Texas officials initiated
a nationwide service that allowed runaways to leave messages for
parents who feared their children were among the dead.
In August 1979, Operation Peace of Mind was renamed the Runaway
Hotline. Through the 24-hour hotline, staff and volunteers provide
runaways and their families with telephone counseling, information
about crisis intervention, information on how to get food, shelter
and transportation home, and conference calls between youths and
families.
"This issue has been put on the back burner," Smith
said. "It is a major problem in communities throughout the
state."
In fiscal year 1997, the hotline logged 35,663 calls, records
show.
"We hope this campaign will educate the public and give
a little bit more attention to the runaway and at-risk youth problem,"
Smith said.
The toll-free hotline telephone number is 1-888-580-4357 (HELP).
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Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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