Missing child Alert

Discussion of all things non-11 Plus related

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

cindy
Posts: 269
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:27 pm
Location: somewhere in kent

Post by cindy »

Great idea,

will you do that perplexed?


Cindy
bestpossibleoutcome
Posts: 83
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 10:35 am

Post by bestpossibleoutcome »

I emailed them yesterday suggesting that they put the link on their site. The easier you make things for people the more likely they are to give their support.

I'd have let you know but I sent off the email just before I went to bed and this is the first chance I've had to use the wibbly wobbly way today.

Great minds think alike tho' (lol)

thanks everyone,
BPO
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Post by Sally-Anne »

I have had a reply from one of my MEPs. I assume it was an automatic response from a Secretary, but if not, a huge bouquet to her.

In her reply she quotes that this is:
written declaration 00036. This seeks to establish a Europe-wide alert system that would be activated in cases of suspected child abduction ...
That may be useful to anyone still writing to their MEP, and also to Gerry for the website - what a good idea perplerxed, Cindy and BPO.

Please support this, one and all.

Sally-Anne
bestpossibleoutcome
Posts: 83
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 10:35 am

Post by bestpossibleoutcome »

I have just looked at my in-box. I have received four replies of the nine MEPs who were emailed. Three of the four said that they had already signed the declaration and the other sent me a response indicating her involvement with children's causes in Europe. I have pasted the main body of this here:

Thank you for your email in relation to the Written Declaration 'on
emergency co-operation in recovering missing children'.

I would like to take this opportunity to make you aware of my role and
position on the issue of missing children.

I have been campaigning within the European Parliament on children's rights for many years. In April I met with the European Commission to discuss
progress on a Europe wide child sex offender's register, the operation and
functioning of the EU's missing children's Hotline and an EU Amber Alert
system, which I originally raised with Commissioner Frattini over a year
ago.

I am committed to getting Member States to agree to act on the problem of
missing children in Europe. Statistics indicate that thousands of children
go missing or are abducted. My focus in not on the one single child that is
missing but on getting action for the thousands that are missing. I will
continue to work with the coalition of children's NGOs campaigning on this
issue. It is an area where Europe should and can act. The written
declaration is one way to persuade member states to act.



I can't work out whether she has signed it, or whether she doesn't need to because she was instrumental in instigating it.

regards,
BPO
cindy
Posts: 269
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:27 pm
Location: somewhere in kent

Post by cindy »

Well done BPO for your results thus far.

I would like to say that the MEP's response that you refer to, gives the impression of too little too late, or, all words and no action.
Whilst this MEP is to be commended on efforts thus far, we would surely not negotiate extinguishing a fire threatening life, but use all reasonable solutions available without delay.
In this case the infrastructure already exists for this system (the media)
and is a proven resource, tried and tested in other countries,

What is the debate?

Cindyx
chad
Posts: 1647
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2005 1:49 pm
Location: berkshire

Post by chad »

Ihave had 3 replies to 6 emails.... all of them have said they have signed the declaration.. one was curt..
I have long supported their campaign and even asked questions in
parliament, as a simple check would have shown you
one said they had signed 'a couple of weeks ago'
Thank you for your recent email asking me to lend my support to written declaration 00036. This seeks to establish a Europe-wide alert system that would be activated in cases of suspected child abduction. I agree that a system along the lines of that currently in place in the US could potentially assist in cases like that of Madeline McCann and the countless other children that go missing in Europe each year, so signed the written declaration a few weeks ago in Strasbourg.


and the last..

[
Thank you for your email supporting the Written Declaration: Introduction of an EU Missing Child Alert. I fully support the proposed Missing Child Alert, and signed the Declaration as soon as it became available in April.

The awful disappearance of Madeleine McCann one year ago has highlighted the urgent need for closer cooperation between EU countries when it comes to recovering missing children. Other European countries, such as France and Belgium , already have in place a similar scheme and it is about time all EU countries adopt such a system. It will be a lot more effective if all countries work together and for that reason I signed the written declaration on emergency cooperation in recovering missing children at the earliest opportunity.

For a written declaration to be adopted it must be signed by more than 50% of MEPs (i.e. 393 signatures) at which point it will be officially communicated to the institutions named within it. In this case it will be sent to the European Commission and EU national governments.

The declaration is open for signature for 3 months (it opened on 24th April and will close on 24th July) and I shall be encouraging my MEP colleagues, of all nationalities, to sign up. By the end of the opening day 127 MEPs had already signed it, and as of yesterday it has been signed by 226, so I am optimistic that it will reach the target and give a boost to getting the system underway.

I will of course continue to keep you informed of any developments. However, should you wish for information before then on this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes,
226 is a good number of MEP's so hopefully it will get the signatures it needs.
bestpossibleoutcome
Posts: 83
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 10:35 am

Post by bestpossibleoutcome »

In addition to the four replies I mentioned in a previous post, I received this today written by the MEP's PA:


Thank you for this message,

As you can imagine this issue is of grave concern not just to [name deleted], to whom
you have written, but to all his fellow UKIP MEPs as well.

We have therefore drawn up a joint statement that gives our views which I am
appending below:

Thank you for enquiry about setting up an alert-system, similar to the
existing, American, "Amber Alert" network. Mr Farage on behalf of the UK
Independence Party MEPs recently met Mr. And Mrs. McCann during their visit
to Strasbourg.

Obviously we all extend our sympathies regarding the disappearance of
Madeleine and the obscurity, which - owing to the vagaries of
media-interest - surrounds most such disappearances.

UKIP fully agrees on the need for a better system of notification, to all
relevant agencies, for the identification and recovery of missing persons;
but we would also sound a note of warning. Examining the website of the
"Amber Alert" network, in the USA, it is immediately apparent that this
network is not a government-agency. Indeed, it disclaims any
government-involvement or control. It is a free association of
media-channels and local police-forces, which do not report to, or are bound
by, a political administration.

Any such system, set up by means of EU-legislation, would not share these
characteristics. It would have a statutory basis and be subject to official
monitoring, data-collection and storage. It would thus have all the
oppressive features of "Big-Brother" state-surveillance, which the Americans
were, quite rightly, so eager to avoid.

As Mr Farage told Mr and Mrs McCann, for this reason, setting up such a
system, in Europe, must not be attempted through EU-institutions, but - as
the Americans constructed their system - through voluntary networking by
commercial and local agencies. At most, official involvement should be
limited to an inter-governmental level, through the (non-EU) Council of
Europe, which - in addition to having no state-machinery - most importantly
includes all 43 of the countries of Europe, and not merely the 27, members
of the centralised, data-hungry and, as recent events have shown,
anti-democratic EU.


I will refrain from comment - it would probably be deleted anyway!
BPO
bestpossibleoutcome
Posts: 83
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 10:35 am

Letter from MEP

Post by bestpossibleoutcome »

This morning I received a letter from another of the MEPs I contacted regarding the 'Amber Alert' system (Mr Chris Davies, Lib. Dem.). I thought that two of the points he mentions might be of interest.

Firstly, that it would be an expansion of "the system already employed in Belgium, Denmark, France and Portugal."

Portugal! This was quite a surprise, I don't remember any reference to this alert being used when Madeleine was first reported missing.

Secondly, Mr Davies mentions that to date (letter is dated 26 June) the declaration has succeeded in receiving 308 signatories.

From memory this exceeds the number targeted by the campaign supported by the McCanns. Let us hope that it is successful. Thank you to everyone who has supported this by contacting their MEPs.

best wishes, BPO
patricia
Posts: 2803
Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2006 5:07 pm

Re: Letter from MEP

Post by patricia »

bestpossibleoutcome wrote:
Secondly, Mr Davies mentions that to date (letter is dated 26 June) the declaration has succeeded in receiving 308 signatories.

From memory this exceeds the number targeted by the campaign supported by the McCanns. Let us hope that it is successful. Thank you to everyone who has supported this by contacting their MEPs.

best wishes, BPO
Unfortunately they need 393. More campaigning required.

Patricia
bestpossibleoutcome
Posts: 83
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 10:35 am

Post by bestpossibleoutcome »

Sorry, I haven't had time to check back lol, I did say it was from memory. I believe that time is running out though [sad face] (sorry, I don't seem to be able to do emoticons with Firefox. My DD will be able to show me how if it is possible.)

Thanks Patricia for being on the ball there

BPO
Post Reply