Missing Children.
The plight of missing children is probably one of the most horrific and horrendous experiences that a parent can have to go through. Just imagine that sickening feeling when just for a moment your attention has been diverted only to realise that your child is gone. You start calling their name and running frantically because in those few moments it must feel as if everything has come to an end. The panic might abate if in some cases the child pops out from where they had been concealed or temporarily out of sight. However in the UK, it is estimated that about one hundred thousand children and young people go missing every year. That figure includes repeat runaways that regularly abscond from care homes. Sometimes children think after an argument with their parents that disappearing for a while would be a good idea. Usually cold and hunger may cause a change of ideas and returning home seems a better choice. That is a good outcome, but unfortunately unforeseen incidents can occur such as getting lost or worst of all meeting someone that has an ulterior intention offering food and shelter in exchange for a terrible fate.
One of the most publicised cases of child disappearance was the highly speculated abduction in Portugal of the English three year old little girl Madeline McCann, someone who did receive headline news. It was because of the intense publicity that the case was discussed and attracted huge support. The individual case was funded by a huge pouring of money from the public and even the financial and publicity endorsement of famous figures. The Portuguese investigation was reported to have been severely hampered by political pressure from England and the parents of the child were criticised in several press allegations about hostility towards the Portuguese police investigation. The mother was claimed to have refused to answer basic, fundamental questions that would have been asked to discover what had happened to Madeline. There were criticisms about friends who had been present at the time who had refused to take part in a reconstruction of events leading up to the disappearance. Despite huge efforts on the part of official investigations, there was no sufficient evidence of a third party entering the apartment and frustratingly no leads that provided a positive outcome.
In the Madeline case, theories have been widely reported and a potential suspect questioned but nothing has led to a successful answer. Portuguese officials have suspended inquiries but they have not closed the file on Madeleine's disappearance.
Sadly, the plight of missing children is not one that receives ample or equal attention. In the USA and across the world large numbers of black children disappear without trace regularly. The media coverage is lacking and does not always translate the cases for so many missing children. Urgent cases of missing black children are so often left untold. It is terrible to think that so many children are left unrepresented and not highlighted in the same way if they come from a different background of race or privilege. Coming from poorer or black communities can determine how much attention a missing child might receive.
One of the most publicised cases of child disappearance was the highly speculated abduction in Portugal of the English three year old little girl Madeline McCann, someone who did receive headline news. It was because of the intense publicity that the case was discussed and attracted huge support. The individual case was funded by a huge pouring of money from the public and even the financial and publicity endorsement of famous figures. The Portuguese investigation was reported to have been severely hampered by political pressure from England and the parents of the child were criticised in several press allegations about hostility towards the Portuguese police investigation. The mother was claimed to have refused to answer basic, fundamental questions that would have been asked to discover what had happened to Madeline. There were criticisms about friends who had been present at the time who had refused to take part in a reconstruction of events leading up to the disappearance. Despite huge efforts on the part of official investigations, there was no sufficient evidence of a third party entering the apartment and frustratingly no leads that provided a positive outcome.
In the Madeline case, theories have been widely reported and a potential suspect questioned but nothing has led to a successful answer. Portuguese officials have suspended inquiries but they have not closed the file on Madeleine's disappearance.
Sadly, the plight of missing children is not one that receives ample or equal attention. In the USA and across the world large numbers of black children disappear without trace regularly. The media coverage is lacking and does not always translate the cases for so many missing children. Urgent cases of missing black children are so often left untold. It is terrible to think that so many children are left unrepresented and not highlighted in the same way if they come from a different background of race or privilege. Coming from poorer or black communities can determine how much attention a missing child might receive.
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