RALEIGH – Gov. Bev Perdue has proclaimed Friday, May 22, as Missing Children's Day in North Carolina.

“Thousands of children go missing each year,” Perdue said. “Parents should regularly update photos of their children, keep a record of their child's height and weight and know the names of their friends and their friends' parents. It may prove crucial to a recovery effort.”

Last year, the N.C. Center for Missing Persons recorded 8,350 missing children. More than 96 percent of those children returned safely to their families.

“Parents should talk to their children about safety at home and away from home,” said Reuben Young, secretary of the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. “Parents should teach their children about safety zones and how to respond when strangers come too close to them.”

CCPS' Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement oversees the center. The agency also issues AMBER and Silver alerts.

The majority of children reported missing each year are teen runaways who often return to their families on their own or are found by law enforcement. Some children are taken by a non-custodial parent or relative.

An AMBER Alert is only issued when a child, age 17 or younger, is believed to have been abducted by a stranger or is in danger of injury or death. The alert allows citizens be on the lookout for the abductor or the child and notify law enforcement if they are seen.

In 2008, the Center for Missing Persons activated the AMBER Alert System eight times, and each child was successfully recovered.

Also last year, the Center for Missing Persons began including children in their Silver Alert Notification System which is used for people with dementia or a cognitive impairment. Last year, of the 128 Silver Alerts issued, two were for juveniles.

To report a missing child, contact local law enforcement. To contact the N.C. Center for Missing Persons, call 1-800-522-5437.

For more information about North Carolina's AMBER Alert System, visit www.nccrimecontrol.org/amberalert. To learn more about the nationwide effort to help locate missing children, go to www.missingkids.org.