'Amber Alert' ? Should we not have a 'McCann Alert' ?

Question

The McCanns are calling for an 'Amber Alert' in Europe based on the US 'Amber Alert' which followed the abduction and murder of the nine-year-old Amber Hagerman in 1996.

This may or may not be effective, but should we not also have a 'McCann Alert' based on the Children and Young Persons Act (It is an offence under section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 to neglect or abandon a child under the age of 16 for whom a parent or carer has responsibility)

Sources: http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article1762734.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/mick_hume/article2253547.ece

Answer 1

yes, and this is what has frustrated me because no 'authorities' or agencies have come out in public to remind parents NOT to leave young children unattended. i am shocked at this. children are mostly harmed and/or abducted because of lax parenting and lack of supervision, that will not change.

Answer 2

I guess if they follow the criteria there wouldn't have been. But in my state they interput telivision and radio to give out a description of all missing children right away. Most of the times it isn't an abduction just a child who was where they weren't suppose to be. But i do think there should be a program in every country, an Amber alert and also just a general alert as the one I mentioned. Or they should lower the requirements for an amber alert. Just my opinion though.

Answer 3

Yes definitely. Not one children's group has stated that the Mccann children should not have been left alone. Why has the NSPCC not spoken out? Do they agree with the Mccann's that thousands do it, so therefore its OK?
As for the Mccann's themselves, their hypocrisy knows no limits. The system in Europe isn't good enough? They want the Amber Alert introduced? How dare they criticise anyone, it wasn't even them who reported Madeleine missing! When exactly would Kate and Gerry have called the police?
For a system like the Amber Alert to work, i think the Mccann's would find you have to 1st, notify the authorities immediately the child goes missing,
2nd, not have 20 + people wander over the crime scene,
oh and 3rd, not rely on someone else to decide to call the police because they are the ones worried about the kid.

Answer 4

lots of mix responses so far.....

and i can see why.

i am more confused than most. yes they are doing a terrific job of keeping her in the press....but why do they need a charity funding them so they can do it from a top of the range apartment in Portugal....?

there are many kids who get abducted yet we have never seen a campaign like this. Most parents would exhaust all opportunities in the location where it happened and then come home and keep the pressure on.

After all do we really think the poor girl is still in Portugal? if some one has got her she will be a long time gone...

i think they should keep up their efforts whilst trying to get back to normality (as best they can given the circumstances). after all this step back to regularity would help the other two children.

I think then that the money they are spending from their charity could be spent in to ensuring this never happens again and maybe even a good campaign warning parents of the dangers of leaving their children ALONE.

Answer 5

Ok have deliberately not answered any mccann questions but - they were wrong for leaving their kids alone, there is no getting around it. Unfortunately their little girl is the one who suffered and because of the situation no doubt the twins will also suffer. I can't even begin to think about what the parents are having to deal with knowing that if they had had the babysitter it would not have happened.
But I do think an "amber alert" would be a good idea - if it stops children being taken into a different country and maybe gets them home to their parents it can't be a bad thing.

Answer 6

Why will childrens groups, media, tv etc, not say anything about child neglect, only abdution, in the McCann case the two have gone hand in hand.

Answer 7

I would like to think that if nothing else comes out of all this, it would be that parents all over the world will keep their children safe. so i don't care if an appeal is Amber, blue, purple or pink..if it helps to keep children safe it can be any colour it likes!

unfortunately there WILL be another Maddie, again and again and that's just so sad.

Answer 8

We should wait and see if it is effective in the States. There are very very few children stolen by strangers every year. And I can see many false alarms, leading to compassion fatigue. It happens.
BTW - Puddy, the threat to children isn't necessarily lax attention by the parents. Last year a little girl was stolen from her bathtub whle her mother was in the kitchen, making her dinner. and I remember one horrific story about a woman who shared a bed with her little daughter - both were raped by an intruder. It is caused by paedophiles, people who prey on children. And mostly, we know who they are. They are released from prison and sent back to live in the community, and could be living right next door to you. And I'm afraid, no amount of supervision is going to deter someone who just bides his time.
Paedophiles should never be released into the communities.

Answer 9

Again we're talking about McCann. If anything, Madeleine Alert. She's the one we should all be concentrating on.

Answer 10

These rules apparently do not apply if you are a professional couple. They apply only to single parents living on council estates who, had they abandoned their kids to go out for a meal, would have had their other kids taken off them immediately.
When/if the McCanns return to UK are they going to have to answer the charges of child neglect & abandonment?

Answer 11

I think RED would be a better warning, meaning stop all this malice against the parents.

I doubt whether the Children & Young Persons Act applies in Portugal, but with all the garbage people are talking, you would think that the whole scenario took place in England.