Hand in Hand.
During the quiz mentioned in the last post I was astounded to be told the amount of children that go missing every year.
At the moment we are being informed about Madeline McCann the three year old that is 'missing' in Portugal. Although there are several theories about what has happened to her...was she taken? if she was, why was she? did she climb out of the window herself? etc..., and there's the whole 'why did you leave three small children alone and go out for a meal?' thing, but what made my mouth hang open and completely astonish me was that in England and Wales 77,000 childen (o-18) go missing every year.
77 thousand.
...and once again....77 thousand.
Thats staggering. I know the media choose what to tell us, and in this case they have chosen a perfectly respectable middle-class white family, both doctors, who had their children by I.V.F. treatment. In this case, and in the case of Holly and Jessica (children who were murdered in Soham) we were informed like these were the only children who this had happened to. But its not.
There is alot of media attention about domestic violence at the moment. There is information about how to get help and where to go if you are a victim of domestic violence, and the statisitics are that 2 women a week are being killed whilst in their homes. This is by far the biggest killer of women. More than cancer or heart disease. Killed by 'a loved one' .
Maybe our missing children should be the focus of the next media information guide. I think that if more people knew just how many children go missing, perhaps parents would think twice about some of the decisions they make. I know children have to grow up. They have to have independance and learn to live their lives without a grown up holding their hands at all times. When told Mumbly about the amount of children who go missing, and she did the same goldfish impression that I had done the day before.
Its really scary. I think that I might insist on a 9 year old hand in mine for a couple of years yet.
lybxx
At the moment we are being informed about Madeline McCann the three year old that is 'missing' in Portugal. Although there are several theories about what has happened to her...was she taken? if she was, why was she? did she climb out of the window herself? etc..., and there's the whole 'why did you leave three small children alone and go out for a meal?' thing, but what made my mouth hang open and completely astonish me was that in England and Wales 77,000 childen (o-18) go missing every year.
77 thousand.
...and once again....77 thousand.
Thats staggering. I know the media choose what to tell us, and in this case they have chosen a perfectly respectable middle-class white family, both doctors, who had their children by I.V.F. treatment. In this case, and in the case of Holly and Jessica (children who were murdered in Soham) we were informed like these were the only children who this had happened to. But its not.
There is alot of media attention about domestic violence at the moment. There is information about how to get help and where to go if you are a victim of domestic violence, and the statisitics are that 2 women a week are being killed whilst in their homes. This is by far the biggest killer of women. More than cancer or heart disease. Killed by 'a loved one' .
Maybe our missing children should be the focus of the next media information guide. I think that if more people knew just how many children go missing, perhaps parents would think twice about some of the decisions they make. I know children have to grow up. They have to have independance and learn to live their lives without a grown up holding their hands at all times. When told Mumbly about the amount of children who go missing, and she did the same goldfish impression that I had done the day before.
Its really scary. I think that I might insist on a 9 year old hand in mine for a couple of years yet.
lybxx
posted by lyb | 2:58 AM
11 Comments:
I think the key point in your post was the fact that "children" span 0-18 and that a large proportion of those "missing" ran away to escape abuse and addiction and poverty and the death of hope.
None of the players in those stories are sympathetic or packageable or cute.
Therefore - no media coverage.
And as for domestic violence, well, we don't link to get involved with other people's messy lives, do we? Not really our problem, is it? A marriage should be private etc etc etc.
*Walks off grinding teeth in disgust*
Complete agreement with the teeth grinding.
With Blair now working his notice....maybe we will get someone who will aactualy *do* something about these issues.
Prolly not though. Like you say, its not 'cute' is it?
....when I rule the world...things, they will be different!!
Yes, well - when you rule the world everything will be cute, 'cos it'll be pink.
Right?!!
right...and tasting of chocolate.
...or wine...I cant decide.
pink wine?
no.
Oh and.....
go missing?
hour? day? reported missing? never found again?
(77000 is about 1 in every 175 0-18 year olds by the way)*
*the CIA factbook r.o.c.k.s
interestingly - or maybe not, YMMV
There are only 51,000 people in the UK living with AIDS/HIV
(and by only I mean that's less than the 77000)
and,
the UK is "slightly smaller than Oregon"
Did anyone else here have to ask LH wtf YMMV was and then sit there stunned at how randomly pants it is????
And also - he's not *affiliated* with the CIA in any way. Just in case you were wondering.
Um. That wasn't a double bluff.
Hello lyb,
We'll leave your blog alone now before it fills up with our randomness.
:-)
LH
xxx
...yeah really...'randemly stunned' just about covers it!!
.... babe, dont leave...comment away...randem/non-randem...either is good!!!
xxx
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