Families of the missing 'struggle'

Families of the missing 'struggle'
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Families are left with a "painful struggle against bureaucracy" when their loved ones go missing, campaigners said.

Peter Lawrence, the father of missing chef Claudia, said most institutions have no system in place for clients who go missing.

Speaking as a parliamentary inquiry into the rights of families of missing people continues, Rachel Elias, the sister of Manic Street Preachers guitarist Richey Edwards who went missing in 1995, added that families often face "a painful struggle against bureaucracy".

She urged the Government to "take some very simple steps to ease unnecessary heartache and confusion".

Mr Lawrence, whose daughter went missing from York in March 2009, said families have no simple way to deal with unresolved practical issues such as property, bank accounts and insurance because it was impossible to prove whether a missing person was dead or alive.

"The Government should not underestimate the effect that trying to deal with finances, insurance policies, bank accounts and mortgages of our loved ones has on families already at their lowest possible ebb," he said. "There is currently no legislation to protect missing people and the families left behind, and most institutions have no system for their clients going missing."

Earlier this week, Kate McCann, whose daughter Madeleine went missing from her family's holiday flat in the Algarve shortly before her fourth birthday, told the MPs that despite her medical training, she simply "could not function" when her daughter went missing in May 2007. "It was the first time in my life when I felt out of control," she said.

Calling for a single point of contact between the families of missing people and the police, Mrs McCann, with her voice shaking, said the lack of support she received was compounded by a "lack of communication and information". Mrs McCann, 43, from Rothley, Leicestershire, issued her appeal to ministers as Scotland Yard continues its review of the investigation into her daughter's disappearance in Praia da Luz.

Martin Houghton-Brown, chief executive of Missing People, added: "This inquiry is a landmark opportunity for parliamentarians to ensure that families are able to access the full range of support that they so desperately need."

Crime and security minister James Brokenshire said: "We are acutely aware of the pain caused when a loved one goes missing and we are working hard to ensure the best arrangements are in place to support families. We continue to work closely with the voluntary sector, providing additional funding for the valuable work of the charity Missing People, which provides a lifeline to missing people and their families through its helpline and wider support services."

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Earlier this week, Kate McCann, whose daughter Madeleine went missing from her family's holiday flat in the Algarve shortly before her fourth birthday, told the MPs that despite her medical training, she simply "could not function" when her daughter went missing in May 2007. "It was the first time in my life when I felt out of control," she said.
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That is interesting Kate medical training? yet a serious coloboma is just a fleck ?
Babies born with a coloboma have medical check ups every 6 months it is also a sign of a more serious underlying condition
i dont have medical training Dr Kate but i found coloboma info on google i guess i know more about Madeleines eye than you do

Thanks Rosa, I've looked up coloboma and it's interesting reading. There can be other conditions related to it, such as cleft lip / palate or heart defects. There has been speculation elsewhere on this site that Madeleine was suffering from a serious medical condition which might tie in with a diagnosis of coloboma. However as we know now, the McCanns are saying that she didn't have any noticable eye defect in the first place. So we're back to those wise words of Gerry - "confusion is good".

P.S. The Wikipedia entry still mentions that Madeleine had coloboma!