In the news again (Help to find Madeleine McCann)

Member Name: lellagrace

Product:	Help to find Madeleine McCann
Date:	03/08/07 (548 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Need to keep her in the news

Disadvantages: Feeling of helplessness

UPDATE - I wrote the following review early this morning and at that time hadn't seen the news about the latest sighting of her. Coincidence perhaps - let's hope it is a lucky coincidence and there is a breakthrough in the search for her.



TIME PASSES

It is now almost three months since Madeleine McCann was abducted from her bed in Portugal, the initial publicity has died down and there is rarely anything on the news now about her.

Just because it is no longer headline news doesn't mean the search is over.

PUBLICITY

Yesterday I saw a poster of Madeleine in a car. This is the first one I have seen in the UK. When I was on holiday in Malta I saw only one poster of her. This was unvelievable as there had been reported sightings of Maddy in Malta at the time.

On the 50th day after her disappearance balloons were released and I understand a similar even will take place if she is still missing after 100 days.

PARENTS

There has been a lot of criticism about Maddy's parents leaving three children alone in their room while they ate out with friends. I know almost every parent amongst us has probably said we wouldn't have done that. But attacking the parents is unfair at a time like this.

Gerry McCann is seen as something of a celebrity by some as he swans off all over the place trying to raise awareness. But have any of us stopped to think that this could be his way of coping with the terrible distress they are suffering?

Yesterday I saw a book about one of the missing Soham girls, written by her father. My first thought was why on earth did he have to write a book about his murdered daughter? Then I thought that maybe that was the only way he could come to terms with what happened.

Men and women react differently. Us women are more likely to openly show our distress, whereas men may be more inclined to do something practical.

If Gerry McCann can keep his daughter's absence in the public eye, and at the same time hopefully raise issues of other missing children, then surely that is a good thing.

DIARY

Gerry McCann has a Blog at www.findmadeleine.com where he writes about what is happening. Again, this has received a lot of scathing comments, but I do feel this is unfair. If it helps him to cope and helps to keep Maddie in the news then it is a good thing.

SEARCH

Initially there was some criticism about the way the police had handled Maddie's disappearance, but now it is obvious they are doing their best. Maybe they have a lot of information that they are not telling us about in case it jeopardises finding her.

It can't be easy searching for a missing child. If you have ever been to Portugal you will be aware of the remoteness of some of the villages. There are thousands of outbuildings, some almost derelict, not to mention the countryside. How on earth would anyone set about the task of searching everywhere?

UK PUBLICITY

As mentioned at the beginning of the review, I have only seen one poster about Maddy in the UK. How do we know she hasn't been brought here? Would you think to look for her over here when we have been led to believe she is still abroad?

Today I am going to download one of the posters about Maddie and put it in my own car. I think we are in danger of forgetting what has happened if we don't try and keep her disappearance publicised.

OTHER CHILDREN

A few weeks ago cinemas were asked to stop showing details of Maddie's disappearance as it was upsetting other children.

Again there has been criticism about this. Why should children be upset? Well, we all know that kids are vulnerable and have vivid imaginations. Although most responsible parents will have made their kids aware of the dangers around, this doesn't mean the children don't worry about such things.

It is a shame the ads were stopped, but if they were upsetting other children this had to happen. I know a little girl who is 8 years old and quite a timid child. Since Maddie's disappearance she has worried about being out on her own, even to walk to her friend's house a few doors away had become an ordeal for her.

FUNDS

There has been a huge amount of money raised by fund raising. I sincerely hope this being used sensibly, not only to help find Maddy, but also to help in the search for other missing children.

I know a lot of people have wondered if the funds are being used to keep the McCann family's stay in Portugal. I would hope this is not the case. They are both professionals and quite wealthy, so if they choose to stay in Portugal my personal feeling is that they should finance this themselves. In reality however, it is more probable that some media funds are helping.

Apparently Kate McCann has been doing interviews for magazines. Hopefully this will raise awareness of the search and also the fees will go towards the funds.

OTHER MISSING CHILDREN

Some years ago a little boy, Ben Needham, was snatched from the garden at his grandparents' home in Kos. At the time he was only two years old, too young to remember much.

That little boy will now be grown up. It would be good if the campaign to find Maddie also made Ben and other children like him, ask questions. Ben was a blonde toddler, maybe he was taken by a family with different colouring to him. Perhaps he may start asking about this. I think the publicity about Maddie should also include information about children such as Ben Needham and be publicised in the countries where they disappeared.

END RESULT

We all hope and pray that Maddie will be found safe and well very soon. It is my feeling that there is just one small piece of evidence that is not being made public, that will eventually lead the police to the abductors.

Even if it takes years fo find Maddy, there is still hope that she is alive. If so, there will come a time when she may have memories of her family. She was almost four years old when she disappeared. Most of us can remember being that age, so maybe if Maddie grows up elsewhere, one day her early memories will surface.

And of course there is the distinctive marking in her eye. When she gets older and has to have eye tests, if the campaign is still running, then hopefully someone will make the connection.

Pie in the sky maybe, but in the meantime, please don't forget about this little girl.

SUPPORT

Whether you disagree with her parents' actions or not, this is still a child that is missing. Unless anyone has suffered a similar incident, none of us can even imagine how the McCanns are suffering. They need support not criticism.

SEARCH GOES ON

The search goes on. When Maddie first disappeared everyone was talking about it.

How long has it been since anyone mentioned Maddie to you? We need to keep her in the public eye, so please keep up the campaign to find her.

Summary: Help find Maddie and other missing children