Right across Europe people are being urged to look out for Madeline. Her family have launched a very distinctive 'LOOK for Madeline' campaign which I hope will be effective in finding her. Her distraught family are to be congratulated on their resolve with regards to having Madeline returned safely and I am sure that all of our hearts go out to them during this horrendous ordeal.
Emotions aside there are some pertinent questions that need to be asked regarding this case. I and others from PL8 have commented on what appears to be disproportionate media coverage in regards to this case - why is THIS case being given such an amount of time in the media, when there are many children who go missing whom we hardly hear about?
We are left wondering if the same coverage would be given to a child from a home where their parents are not of the professional class (a GP and a Cardiologist) and if the media would be so determined in that instance to portray leaving 2yr old twins and a 3yr old alone as a 'norm'.
2yr olds and 3yr olds don't always sleep when put to bed, in most homes children of that age are monitored by a baby monitor and checked on regularly, leaving them can have disasterous consequences. Young children should never be left without adequate supervision and nipping back from a restaurant every 30 mins to check on them is not adequate supervision. Most parents would not dream of leaving their young children alone to go out to socialise or dine - Most parents would either employ a babysitter or take the children with them, that is the act of a responsible parent. Yet I have watched with amazement as over and over again the media have tried to push this issue to the background, at one stage the media told us that the Warner complex has a babysitting service, this hasn't raised questions as to why it wasnt employed to look after these 3 children. What message are they sending out to parents? Is it acceptable and responsible to go out and leave your children alone in your own home, or indeed in an apartment abroad?
This morning I heard a guest speaker on the BBC's Breakfast programme refer to the collective concern for Madeline as a religious experience - what on earth is going on here? Any ideas
We can understand that the main issue at this time must be the safe return of Madeline, that has to be the priority. But I and others are left wondering if the parents were from a different socio-economic background would the media be asking the questions that most of us are asking and not trying to normalise this issue.
