It is only since Madeleine was taken from us, that Gerry and myself
have become aware of just how many children go missing each year from
all around the world. The scale of the problem is huge. In fact, it is
terrifying. I have asked myself many times “why did I not know about
this? Am I that naïve or is it the fact that the problem itself is not
well publicised for whatever reason?”
It is impossible to give a number for the amount of children that go
missing but suffice to say it is hundreds of thousands. This includes
‘runaway’ children, parental/family abductions and ‘stranger’
abductions such as in Madeleine’s case. The reason for the lack of
precision with regards to number of cases, appears to be that there is
as yet (in the UK and many countries throughout Europe at least), no
standard method for collecting, recording and categorising data.
Without this, it is not possible to implement strategies to tackle the
problem - recover children and reunite them with their families as soon
as possible. PACT (Parents and Abducted Children Together) is one of
the organisations in the UK trying to propose/request such national
policies be brought in to place by the Government. Surely our children
deserve this?
Madeleine’s abduction itself was quite unusual, in that it was the
abduction of a ‘foreign national’. This introduced unique difficulties,
not least a language barrier. Given that people and families travel
quite extensively nowadays particularly within a ‘borderless’ Europe,
we believe that a Europe-wide response to the problem is mandatory. I
would think that not an unreasonable request of countries belonging to
a ‘European Union’?
It is fair to say that the USA is probably at least 20 years ahead
when it comes to dealing with the problem of missing and abducted
children. NCMEC (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)
was founded in 1984 by John and Reve Walsh after they sadly experienced
the frustration and lack of effective response available, when their
own son, Adam, was abducted and subsequently found murdered in Florida
in 1981. NCMEC now offers a vast range of invaluable resources to law
enforcement agencies, helping to investigate cases of missing children
and child exploitation cases as well as training and education. These
resources along with the AMBER Alert system which operates in the USA
(a nationwide effort between police departments and the media to
blanket local airwaves immediately with information and photograghs
when a child is abducted) have led to the safe recovery of many
children. Needless to say, the Americans have a great deal of
experience and knowledge to offer, and we need to learn from them if we
wish to make Europe and the rest of the world a safer place for our
children. In recent years, similar ‘Child Rescue Alert’ systems have
been introduced in certain European countries- Belgium, France, UK and
Greece but we have a long, long way to go.
Gerry and I have been criticised at times for publicising
Madeleine’s disappearance. We did what we felt was best at that time,
obviously having no experience of such ordeals. Thankfully NCMEC has
assured us that this was the right thing to do. People have asked
(usually in a critical manner) “why has Madeleine received such
attention when there are thousands of missing children around the
world?” My feeling is that the publicity surrounding Madeleine’s
abduction was not inappropriate- Every child in such a situation should
receive this same amount of attention, but it shouldn’t be down to the
family to instigate it. The public awareness of Madeleine’s plight has
at the very least, highlighted cases of other missing children and the
extent of the problem as a whole, and from that we can take a small bit
of comfort.
All missing children are vulnerable to exploitation including sexual
exploitation, with this being the motive in many of those cases of
stranger abductions where a motive can be determined. Child sexual
exploitation and child pornography in particular, is sadly and
shockingly extensive worldwide. It is a multi-billion dollar industry
aided by the use of the Internet with the ‘thirst’ for younger victims
growing. Once again, my ‘bubble’ of a life burst as I began to discover
the facts relating to this now global crisis. As we travelled through
Europe in an attempt to raise awareness of Madeleine’s abduction and
appeal for help, we were repeatedly made aware of the unbelievable
existence of such a horrifying activity and its vastness in our so
called civilised and ‘child-loving’ society. How can such ‘businesses’
be condoned or tolerated by us all? What are the benefits for our
children of being in a European Union where several member countries
offer child pornography as a LEGAL past time? The most vulnerable
members of our society are our children and they deserve better than
this. Lack of sex offender registers, lack of reliable tracking systems
for known offenders and no CRB check requirements , not even for those
working with children are other major areas of concern within many
parts of Europe. My eyes have certainly been opened to a whole new
world out there – a very worrying one.
As a parent of an abducted child, I can tell you that it is the most
painful and agonising experience you could ever imagine. My thoughts of
the fear, confusion and loss of love and security that my precious
daughter has had to endure are unbearable – crippling. And yet I am not
the victim, Madeleine is. No child should EVER have to experience
something so terrible.