You can help every day

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More than 15,000 people in Poland go missing every year. The problem is not unique for Poland only; people disappear without a trace in other European countries and on all continents, too. Children, young people, the elderly and those suffering from various illnesses, they all can disappear. Persons in the best of health, women and men, poor and wealthy, people with higher education and with primary education. They all can go missing for a variety of reasons: because of an illness, an accident or because they cannot cope with everyday problems, conflicts and stress. Sometimes they get hurt or fall victim of a crime. All missing people need help.

Be sensitive, react

• When you see a person behaving strangely in the street, do not remain indifferent. This person can be sick and in need of urgent help. A heart attack is often confused with intoxication. If somebody is unsteady it does not mean that they are drunk.
• When you see such a person, ask whether they feel well and how you can help them. If anything gives you cause for concern, call an ambulance or the police. Wait with this person until the appropriate service arrives. Ask whether you can notify their family or neighbours.
• Also pay attention to people who seem lost and confused or wander around in the streets. They can be dressed inappropriately for the current season or weather. They can talk to themselves or say they do not know their whereabouts and name.
• When you meet such a person, try to obtain some information from them: their name, personal details of close relatives and their address. Call the municipal guard.
• Persons suffering from memory loss often should have tabs with personal details and their home phone number sewed inside their clothes. Upon discovering such data notify the person’s family about their whereabouts.
• When you see a child playing or wandering in the street – react, do not remain indifferent. Talk to the child; ask them why they are alone and whether they know where their parents or accompanying persons are. If it turns out that the child has been left unattended, notify the persons responsible for the area (e.g. shop staff) and the police. Wait with the child until the police arrive. Should the child’s caretaker turn up, make sure the child knows this person and feels safe with him/her.
• You can often see posters in the streets informing about a search going on for the missing person. Do not pass them by with indifference. Look at the photograph and description of the missing person. You may happen to see them in the future.
• When you meet someone who resembles a missing person, observe them carefully, pay attention to how they are dressed, whether they are well-groomed and what general impression they make. Remember the time and place of the sighting. Immediately notify persons and institutions whose contact data were given on the poster (family, police, ITAKA). By acting this way you can help solve the case and close the search.
• Remember – the way you decide to act can save somebody’s life or help establish someone’s identity. You can prevent a tragedy from happening.

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