A Song for Madeline - My Chloroform
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A Song for Madeline - My Chloroform
That's not my spelling of Madeleine in thread title, that's how it comes. I haven't had chance to listen to the song yet, but the name of the band struck me as erm... slightly inappropiate, if you get what I mean.
Official Facebook page:
My Chloroform
In
Your Eyes - A song for Madeline - 50% of all download sales of this
song will be given to the Find Madeline appeal. Please take a listen and
help the efforts in her safe return :)
http://soundcloud.com/mychloroform/in-your-eyes
www.facebook.com/MyChloroform
Like · Comment · Yesterday at 08:20 ·
We also have this to look forward to:
when will the Christmas appeal be released?
Like · Comment · Tuesday at 23:20
Official Facebook page:
My Chloroform
In
Your Eyes - A song for Madeline - 50% of all download sales of this
song will be given to the Find Madeline appeal. Please take a listen and
help the efforts in her safe return :)
http://soundcloud.com/mychloroform/in-your-eyes
www.facebook.com/MyChloroform
Like · Comment · Yesterday at 08:20 ·
We also have this to look forward to:
when will the Christmas appeal be released?
Like · Comment · Tuesday at 23:20
- Official Find Madeleine Campaign By next week sometime.Wednesday at 06:29 · 5
____________________
“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.”
Unknown
“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
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Re: A Song for Madeline - My Chloroform
Daisy and everyone: you have a treat to come when you listen to this song, NOT! What a dreary depressing dirge. Most of it is instrumental which is just as well as, from what I could decipher of the lyrics there was a mention of "taken in a moment out of sight" and "we'll keep searching".
I'm sure that the Facebook Bleeding Hearts, Flowers and Candle Brigade will appreciate it though.
I'm sure that the Facebook Bleeding Hearts, Flowers and Candle Brigade will appreciate it though.
Guest- Guest
Re: A Song for Madeline - My Chloroform
So a 3 piece band are hoping to make money themselves (remember only 50% of download fee to McFund) and I imagine fame too, yet the seem to have the support of Kate & Gerry or at least Team McCann if this sales promotion is allowed to stay on the Official Madeleine FB page.
I thought K & G didn't want anyone else making money out of Madeleine's disappearance?
What % to fund would they have baulked at? 40%, 30%?
Are the McCanns hyprocrites for this?
Shall I bring out a pink cuddly cat that cries out "daddy" - would they be happy to share 50% of profits?
I thought K & G didn't want anyone else making money out of Madeleine's disappearance?
What % to fund would they have baulked at? 40%, 30%?
Are the McCanns hyprocrites for this?
Shall I bring out a pink cuddly cat that cries out "daddy" - would they be happy to share 50% of profits?
____________________
Kate McCann "I know that what happened is not due to the fact of us leaving the children asleep. I know it happened under other circumstances"
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Re: A Song for Madeline - My Chloroform
They mispelled her name, and the link they are giving to the official Madeleine site is also written wrong so it leads you nowhere. So how is that gone help K+G and when are they taking the band to court I wonder ?
Guest- Guest
Re: A Song for Madeline - My Chloroform
Great points Gillyspot, my train of thought was similar when I first
read of it; how low will they stoop? Seems a bit crass to me, promoting
an 'up n coming' band for a 50% cut. Aye, they're scraping the barrel with this one, a step down from the days when the likes of Bryan Adams helped fund them.
Jeez... I've listened to it now, I agree with Jean, a dreary depressing dirge desribes it well, it's deathly! I find the band name fitting now - it would definitely be 'my chloroform' if I had to listen to that for longer than a couple of minutes. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
read of it; how low will they stoop? Seems a bit crass to me, promoting
an 'up n coming' band for a 50% cut. Aye, they're scraping the barrel with this one, a step down from the days when the likes of Bryan Adams helped fund them.
Jeez... I've listened to it now, I agree with Jean, a dreary depressing dirge desribes it well, it's deathly! I find the band name fitting now - it would definitely be 'my chloroform' if I had to listen to that for longer than a couple of minutes. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
____________________
“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.”
Unknown
“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
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Re: A Song for Madeline - My Chloroform
Moa wrote:They mispelled her name, and the link they are giving to the official Madeleine site is also written wrong so it leads you nowhere. So how is that gone help K+G and when are they taking the band to court I wonder ?
Yes, Moa, they mispelled her name and the 'official' on their FB page didn't correct them, in fact they 'liked' it. How cheap and disrepectful that they can't even get Madeleine's name right. They disgust me.
Like · Comment · Yesterday at 08:20 ·
- Jackie Shields and Official Find Madeleine Campaign like this.
____________________
“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.”
Unknown
“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
Daisy- Posts : 1245
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Location : Yorkshire, England
Re: A Song for Madeline - My Chloroform
Give them time! In a couple of years they may learn two more chords. The words bandwagon and desperate come to mind.
But what is this about the 'Christmas Appeal?' With apparently an answer?
Surely Kate, it's too late now and what's more, we're all paying for SY doing the job anyway.
But what is this about the 'Christmas Appeal?' With apparently an answer?
Surely Kate, it's too late now and what's more, we're all paying for SY doing the job anyway.
____________________
Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch'entrate.
My Chloroform speaks
It appears that the '50% of downloads' to the Find Madeleine Fund has been rapidly changed to '75% of downloads'. Admin has tonight received the following communication from Kate (My Chloroform), which we publish unedited:
To the Administrator
I would like to make a complaint about the factually incorrect thread (above) that has been posted on your site.
I would like to clarify that we are not 'hoping to make money or fame' from Madeleines disappearance and that 75% of any money made from our song is going to the Official Find Madeleine fund, the remaining 25% is to cover the administration and production costs of our song.
I had initially, on posting our song on Soundcloud, mis-spelt Madeleines name, meaning the link to their website was broken. Kate and Gerry McCann have given us full permission to promote our song (hence why it was officially 'Liked' on Facebook) so that we can raise funds for their cause.
Our only intention is to help find a missing child!
I do not wish to post a reply on the thread as it may only exaggerate any issues the people posting on it have but if possible, I would be grateful if the thread was removed.
Kind regards
Kate (My Chloroform)
Please note that Kate (My Chloroform) is asserting that she is genuinely seeking to help to find a missing child. Please keep your responses respectful as it's likely that this thread may attract many views - ADMIN
To the Administrator
I would like to make a complaint about the factually incorrect thread (above) that has been posted on your site.
I would like to clarify that we are not 'hoping to make money or fame' from Madeleines disappearance and that 75% of any money made from our song is going to the Official Find Madeleine fund, the remaining 25% is to cover the administration and production costs of our song.
I had initially, on posting our song on Soundcloud, mis-spelt Madeleines name, meaning the link to their website was broken. Kate and Gerry McCann have given us full permission to promote our song (hence why it was officially 'Liked' on Facebook) so that we can raise funds for their cause.
Our only intention is to help find a missing child!
I do not wish to post a reply on the thread as it may only exaggerate any issues the people posting on it have but if possible, I would be grateful if the thread was removed.
Kind regards
Kate (My Chloroform)
Please note that Kate (My Chloroform) is asserting that she is genuinely seeking to help to find a missing child. Please keep your responses respectful as it's likely that this thread may attract many views - ADMIN
Tony Bennett- Investigator
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Re: A Song for Madeline - My Chloroform
the mccanns have made a few million pounds and where has it gone??? and they still havent found Madeleine,they dont need the money so how about sending the 75% to a real missing childrens charity.
sorry but i am so angry.
sorry but i am so angry.
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Re: A Song for Madeline - My Chloroform
tiny wrote:the mccanns have made a few million pounds and where has it gone??? and they still havent found Madeleine,they dont need the money so how about sending the 75% to a real missing childrens charity.
sorry but i am so angry.
You and me both tiny.
Funny they say that %25 of proceeds needed for costs as you can release a single for £50 - £200 these days.
They are just in it for the fame (or to be infamous)
Interesting choice of band name though Chloroform taking into account the McCann case
____________________
Kate McCann "I know that what happened is not due to the fact of us leaving the children asleep. I know it happened under other circumstances"
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Re: A Song for Madeline - My Chloroform
i was going to say the same about the fame,Madeleine is a well known missing child,so why didnt they make it for a real missing childrens charity if they dont want the fame,its not as if the mccanns need the money where as a real childrens charity does,some one else jumping on the back of Madeleine to get thier 5 mins.
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Re: A Song for Madeline - My Chloroform
I can't apologise for posting up 'factually incorrect' information because I quoted it direct from the official FB page.
Kate sounds like a well meaning respectful person, and if she and her band members are trying to help what they believe to be a genuine cause, then I apologise for any hurtful comments I made, that was wrong and unfair of me. Although, I would advise anyone entering into any business venture to do a detailed study/background of the folk they're getting involved with.
I'm not trying to justify my remarks but it does get pretty frustrating to see so many people contributing to just this one fund, one missing little girl, an unsolved case surrounded in controversy and contradiction. What about all the other missing children?
Perhaps if sales go really well the McCann's might think about redirecting some funds back to the good folk of Ireland. If the media reports are true, things are very very bad in and around the areas Gerry's father was from. These families must be pretty desparate, yet we see nothing about them. No songs for these nameless children. Just keep the concentration on this one little girl. The others don't matter, if they did the McCann's would surely be using their clout to at least highlight these frigtening statistics. Who are these children? Why has this been hushed up?
Sorry I know I've posted this up before but it's like the elephant in the room.
Shock figures reveal one child is abducted in Northern Ireland every week
Hundreds of children have been snatched from the streets of Northern Ireland
during the past five years, a Sunday Life investigation has revealed.
And police are struggling to bring the culprits to court — with just a third
of all cases being cleared.
Since 2006 a total of 230 children have been abducted by adults, many of whom
are total strangers. Since April of this year 24 children have been snatched
in Northern Ireland.
That’s an average of 46 abductions each year — almost one a week — yet police
are solving just 32 per cent of these crimes.
Unlike the high profile May 2007 case of Madeleine McCann, who went missing on
a family holiday in Portugal, few of these cases have been made public in
the media.
The majority of abductions have taken place in Belfast and Derry.
Detectives have also investigated incidents in more rural areas including
Antrim, Armagh, Ballymena, Coleraine, Fermanagh, Lisburn, Omagh and Newry.
The PSNI has insisted they are doing everything in their power to ensure
children are safe on the streets.
A police spokesman said: “The protection of children is one of our top
priorities and the PSNI work with a range of organisations and
the community to ensure our children stay safe.”
But Sunday Life’s findings have worried politicians, with one DUP Policing
Board member vowing to raise the issue at its next session.
“It’s alarming to think that a child is being abducted almost every week in
Northern Ireland,” said East Londonderry MLA Adrian
McQuillan. “These statistics are frightening and need highlighted.
“I’ll definitely be raising this at the next meeting of the Policing Board.”
Although the majority of child abductions are carried out by family members,
usually a parent who has just split with their partner, a high percentage
involve strangers.
Last month Bangladeshi national Shidul Islam, 43, was arrested and charged
with trying to snatch a youngster from close to his east Belfast home.
Source Sunday Life
Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/shock-figures-reveal-one-child-is-abducted-in-northern-ireland-every-week-16058302.html#ixzz1h1FnLOje
Kate sounds like a well meaning respectful person, and if she and her band members are trying to help what they believe to be a genuine cause, then I apologise for any hurtful comments I made, that was wrong and unfair of me. Although, I would advise anyone entering into any business venture to do a detailed study/background of the folk they're getting involved with.
I'm not trying to justify my remarks but it does get pretty frustrating to see so many people contributing to just this one fund, one missing little girl, an unsolved case surrounded in controversy and contradiction. What about all the other missing children?
Perhaps if sales go really well the McCann's might think about redirecting some funds back to the good folk of Ireland. If the media reports are true, things are very very bad in and around the areas Gerry's father was from. These families must be pretty desparate, yet we see nothing about them. No songs for these nameless children. Just keep the concentration on this one little girl. The others don't matter, if they did the McCann's would surely be using their clout to at least highlight these frigtening statistics. Who are these children? Why has this been hushed up?
Sorry I know I've posted this up before but it's like the elephant in the room.
Shock figures reveal one child is abducted in Northern Ireland every week
Hundreds of children have been snatched from the streets of Northern Ireland
during the past five years, a Sunday Life investigation has revealed.
And police are struggling to bring the culprits to court — with just a third
of all cases being cleared.
Since 2006 a total of 230 children have been abducted by adults, many of whom
are total strangers. Since April of this year 24 children have been snatched
in Northern Ireland.
That’s an average of 46 abductions each year — almost one a week — yet police
are solving just 32 per cent of these crimes.
Unlike the high profile May 2007 case of Madeleine McCann, who went missing on
a family holiday in Portugal, few of these cases have been made public in
the media.
The majority of abductions have taken place in Belfast and Derry.
Detectives have also investigated incidents in more rural areas including
Antrim, Armagh, Ballymena, Coleraine, Fermanagh, Lisburn, Omagh and Newry.
The PSNI has insisted they are doing everything in their power to ensure
children are safe on the streets.
A police spokesman said: “The protection of children is one of our top
priorities and the PSNI work with a range of organisations and
the community to ensure our children stay safe.”
But Sunday Life’s findings have worried politicians, with one DUP Policing
Board member vowing to raise the issue at its next session.
“It’s alarming to think that a child is being abducted almost every week in
Northern Ireland,” said East Londonderry MLA Adrian
McQuillan. “These statistics are frightening and need highlighted.
“I’ll definitely be raising this at the next meeting of the Policing Board.”
Although the majority of child abductions are carried out by family members,
usually a parent who has just split with their partner, a high percentage
involve strangers.
Last month Bangladeshi national Shidul Islam, 43, was arrested and charged
with trying to snatch a youngster from close to his east Belfast home.
Source Sunday Life
Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/shock-figures-reveal-one-child-is-abducted-in-northern-ireland-every-week-16058302.html#ixzz1h1FnLOje
____________________
“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.”
Unknown
“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
Daisy- Posts : 1245
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Re: A Song for Madeline - My Chloroform
Daisy wrote:Shock figures reveal one child is abducted in Northern Ireland every week
Hundreds of children...
REPLY: 230
...have been snatched from the streets of Northern Ireland during the past five years, a Sunday Life investigation has revealed. And police are struggling to bring the culprits to court — with just a third
of all cases being cleared.
REPLY: That's not the same as saying that two-thirds of those children have not been found.
Since 2006 a total of 230 children have been abducted by adults, many of whom are total strangers. Since April of this year 24 children have been snatched in Northern Ireland.
That’s an average of 46 abductions each year — almost one a week — yet police are solving just 32 per cent of these crimes.
REPLY: If the statistics are for the full 5 years 2006-2010, then, yes, 46 a year is correct.
Unlike the high profile May 2007 case of Madeleine McCann, who went missing on a family holiday in Portugal, few of these cases have been made public in the media.
The majority of abductions have taken place in Belfast and Derry.
Detectives have also investigated incidents in more rural areas including Antrim, Armagh, Ballymena, Coleraine, Fermanagh, Lisburn, Omagh and Newry.
The PSNI has insisted they are doing everything in their power to ensure children are safe on the streets.
A police spokesman said: “The protection of children is one of our top priorities and the PSNI work with a range of organisations and the community to ensure our children stay safe.”
But Sunday Life’s findings have worried politicians, with one DUP Policing Board member vowing to raise the issue at its next session.
“It’s alarming to think that a child is being abducted almost every week in Northern Ireland,” said East Londonderry MLA Adrian McQuillan. “These statistics are frightening and need highlighted.
“I’ll definitely be raising this at the next meeting of the Policing Board.”
Although the majority of child abductions are carried out by family members, usually a parent who has just split with their partner, a high percentage involve strangers.
REPLY: Wait a moment. 'Most' (i.e. well over 50%) are carried out by family members, but 'a high percentage' involve strangers. What is a 'high percentage'? 10%? 20%? 30%?
Last month Bangladeshi national Shidul Islam, 43, was arrested and charged with trying to snatch a youngster from close to his east Belfast home.
Source Sunday Life
REPLY: By the tone of this report and the way it is reported, there could be dozens of children abducted by strangers in N. Ireland in the past 5 years. Have they really been abducted, though? Are they still missing? Have the police issued missing persons descriptions? It's an alarming report on the face of it, but do we have the full picture?
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/shock-figures-reveal-one-child-is-abducted-in-northern-ireland-every-week-16058302.html#ixzz1h1FnLOje
Tony Bennett- Investigator
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Epidemic of child abductions in Northern Ireland?
Do we have any members in Northern Ireland who can give their thoughts on this story? I'm finding it hard to believe that so many children could go missing without other parts of the U K hearing about them.
It has always been prudent to take press reports with a little bit of salt but, since Madeleine "disappeared", a veritable salt mountain is needed!
It has always been prudent to take press reports with a little bit of salt but, since Madeleine "disappeared", a veritable salt mountain is needed!
Guest- Guest
Re: A Song for Madeline - My Chloroform
No Tony, I don't think they've given us the full picture. Do they ever? However, after further investigating, I do think there's some truth in it. Like you & Marian I found it hard to believe all these children could go missing without barely a mention in the media until I came across this blog (originally in the Irish Times, feb 2010)
What happened to all the missing
foreign children?
THERE IS something about a photograph. When you
don’t know someone personally, a photograph
makes the person real and vivid in a way no amount of
verbal description can. When the person has
previously just been just a statistic, the impact is
infinitely greater, writes BREDA O'BRIEN
Although I have often written about the scandalous
numbers of children who have gone missing while in
the care of the Health Service Executive, somehow I
had never visited the http://ie.missingkids.com
website. When I finally did so last week, I found
myself stunned that there is not a daily outcry to
find these young people.
Are we, as Phil Garland, HSE assistant national
director for children and families, suggested, simply
racist? The first thing that struck me was the huge
amount of foreign faces, although it is a website for
all missing children.
Among the girls, many are Chinese or African. Two
in particular caught my attention – Xiao Ming
Chen, aged 15, with her heavy fringe, fragile
shoulders and tense, pretty face, and Caroline Njoki
from Kenya, aged 13, with her huge, sombre eyes.
As a second level teacher, they remind me of
pupils. I can only imagine the resources that would
be marshalled and the blanket media coverage if Irish
children whom I teach went missing. Between 2000 and
2009 a total of 501 migrant children went missing
from HSE care. Only 67 have been successfully traced.
There are 434 missing children, and we go about
our daily business as if nothing of any major import
has happened.
A November 2009 Report of the Office of the
Children’s Ombudsman on separated children
highlighted the stark contrast between how Irish and
asylum-seeking children are treated. From January to
May 2009, apart from children seeking asylum, 53
other children went missing from HSE care.
Of these, only two remain missing, and even here,
contact was made with them. From January to May 2009,
27 asylum-seeking children went missing, and at the
time of the report’s publication, only two were
accounted for. (Seven more have since been traced.)
In a bitter irony, an asylum-seeking child who was
assisting the ombudsman’s office with its
research went missing from school. By the time of
publication of the report, her picture had not
appeared on the missing children’s website, and
there was no publicity about the case.
It is more than puzzling that, given there are 434
missing children, my own search of ie.missingkids.com
for the last 10 years showed up records for only 48
girls and 90 boys. Why are the others not on the
website?
One Opposition TD, Denis Naughten of Fine Gael,
has been on a mission for some time to raise
awareness of the plight of these young people. When
he spoke to me during the week, he confirmed that the
numbers of children disappearing dropped dramatically
towards the end of last year.
As far as Naughten can ascertain, five children
disappeared in September, of whom three were traced.
None disappeared in October and November, and one in
December. (The child in December was traced and
returned to care.) He finds it difficult even to get
facts and figures from the HSE. His requests for
figures for January have not, to date, even been
acknowledged.
He went on to say that while it is good that the
numbers are dropping, what about the more than 400
still unaccounted for? He suggests imagining an Irish
teenager missing in, say, Russia, with no knowledge
of the language or culture, and vulnerable to every
type of exploitation.
A statement from the HSE said that the issue of
separated children who go missing from care was
complex, and was sometimes simplified and
sensationalised.
“It has been unsubstantiated that any of the
children who go missing from HSE care have been
trafficked.” So where are they then?
When we look to our nearest neighbour, Britain,
the assertion that those alleging that these children
may have been trafficked are just simplifying and
sensationalising the issue begins to sound hollow.
The Guardian newspaper has carried out a number of
investigations of children who went missing very
quickly from state care, and in particular, Chinese
children. The newspaper’s reporters have even
travelled to China, to the province of Fujian, from
where many of the children who end up in Britain
originate.
A very disturbing picture emerges. Communities
club together to fund a person to go abroad, in the
expectation that the person will thrive and send
money home regularly. A Chinese researcher posing as
a would-be migrant was told that if she could raise
£15,000, getting her into Britain by a circuitous
route would be no problem.
What about her 12-year-old sister, the researcher
asked? No problem. They send lots of children, and
“it is 100 per cent safe”. Far from being
safe, the Guardian uncovered ample evidence that many
Chinese girls end up in prostitution.
Another Chinese woman working on behalf of the
Guardian answered an advertisement for a housekeeper
in a brothel, and discovered young, exhausted and
utterly demoralised young Chinese women there who had
been trafficked. They were too ashamed to tell their
families what had happened. “You grit your teeth
and endure the pain,” one said.
Is the same happening in Ireland? Are others in
virtual slavery, working in homes and businesses? No
doubt many have been moved out of Ireland, as it is
recognised that Ireland is seen as an EU entry point.
It is important to acknowledge progress, such as
the gradual closure of unsuitable hostels, and a
reduction in the numbers who simply walk out of HSE
care, never to be seen again.
However, what about finding the children missing
to date? Is it not about time the Irish public joined
Denis Naughten and other children’s rights
advocates in the demand for answers?
bobrien@irishtimes.ie http://www.missingpersons-ireland.freepress-freespeech.com/hush-hush-garda-hse.htm
What happened to all the missing
foreign children?
THERE IS something about a photograph. When you
don’t know someone personally, a photograph
makes the person real and vivid in a way no amount of
verbal description can. When the person has
previously just been just a statistic, the impact is
infinitely greater, writes BREDA O'BRIEN
Although I have often written about the scandalous
numbers of children who have gone missing while in
the care of the Health Service Executive, somehow I
had never visited the http://ie.missingkids.com
website. When I finally did so last week, I found
myself stunned that there is not a daily outcry to
find these young people.
Are we, as Phil Garland, HSE assistant national
director for children and families, suggested, simply
racist? The first thing that struck me was the huge
amount of foreign faces, although it is a website for
all missing children.
Among the girls, many are Chinese or African. Two
in particular caught my attention – Xiao Ming
Chen, aged 15, with her heavy fringe, fragile
shoulders and tense, pretty face, and Caroline Njoki
from Kenya, aged 13, with her huge, sombre eyes.
As a second level teacher, they remind me of
pupils. I can only imagine the resources that would
be marshalled and the blanket media coverage if Irish
children whom I teach went missing. Between 2000 and
2009 a total of 501 migrant children went missing
from HSE care. Only 67 have been successfully traced.
There are 434 missing children, and we go about
our daily business as if nothing of any major import
has happened.
A November 2009 Report of the Office of the
Children’s Ombudsman on separated children
highlighted the stark contrast between how Irish and
asylum-seeking children are treated. From January to
May 2009, apart from children seeking asylum, 53
other children went missing from HSE care.
Of these, only two remain missing, and even here,
contact was made with them. From January to May 2009,
27 asylum-seeking children went missing, and at the
time of the report’s publication, only two were
accounted for. (Seven more have since been traced.)
In a bitter irony, an asylum-seeking child who was
assisting the ombudsman’s office with its
research went missing from school. By the time of
publication of the report, her picture had not
appeared on the missing children’s website, and
there was no publicity about the case.
It is more than puzzling that, given there are 434
missing children, my own search of ie.missingkids.com
for the last 10 years showed up records for only 48
girls and 90 boys. Why are the others not on the
website?
One Opposition TD, Denis Naughten of Fine Gael,
has been on a mission for some time to raise
awareness of the plight of these young people. When
he spoke to me during the week, he confirmed that the
numbers of children disappearing dropped dramatically
towards the end of last year.
As far as Naughten can ascertain, five children
disappeared in September, of whom three were traced.
None disappeared in October and November, and one in
December. (The child in December was traced and
returned to care.) He finds it difficult even to get
facts and figures from the HSE. His requests for
figures for January have not, to date, even been
acknowledged.
He went on to say that while it is good that the
numbers are dropping, what about the more than 400
still unaccounted for? He suggests imagining an Irish
teenager missing in, say, Russia, with no knowledge
of the language or culture, and vulnerable to every
type of exploitation.
A statement from the HSE said that the issue of
separated children who go missing from care was
complex, and was sometimes simplified and
sensationalised.
“It has been unsubstantiated that any of the
children who go missing from HSE care have been
trafficked.” So where are they then?
When we look to our nearest neighbour, Britain,
the assertion that those alleging that these children
may have been trafficked are just simplifying and
sensationalising the issue begins to sound hollow.
The Guardian newspaper has carried out a number of
investigations of children who went missing very
quickly from state care, and in particular, Chinese
children. The newspaper’s reporters have even
travelled to China, to the province of Fujian, from
where many of the children who end up in Britain
originate.
A very disturbing picture emerges. Communities
club together to fund a person to go abroad, in the
expectation that the person will thrive and send
money home regularly. A Chinese researcher posing as
a would-be migrant was told that if she could raise
£15,000, getting her into Britain by a circuitous
route would be no problem.
What about her 12-year-old sister, the researcher
asked? No problem. They send lots of children, and
“it is 100 per cent safe”. Far from being
safe, the Guardian uncovered ample evidence that many
Chinese girls end up in prostitution.
Another Chinese woman working on behalf of the
Guardian answered an advertisement for a housekeeper
in a brothel, and discovered young, exhausted and
utterly demoralised young Chinese women there who had
been trafficked. They were too ashamed to tell their
families what had happened. “You grit your teeth
and endure the pain,” one said.
Is the same happening in Ireland? Are others in
virtual slavery, working in homes and businesses? No
doubt many have been moved out of Ireland, as it is
recognised that Ireland is seen as an EU entry point.
It is important to acknowledge progress, such as
the gradual closure of unsuitable hostels, and a
reduction in the numbers who simply walk out of HSE
care, never to be seen again.
However, what about finding the children missing
to date? Is it not about time the Irish public joined
Denis Naughten and other children’s rights
advocates in the demand for answers?
bobrien@irishtimes.ie http://www.missingpersons-ireland.freepress-freespeech.com/hush-hush-garda-hse.htm
____________________
“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.”
Unknown
“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
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Re: A Song for Madeline - My Chloroform
I'd be inclined to think that most of those children would be pre-teens and older, 12 yrs olds and so on. I would think that the only toddlers disappearing would have been taken by family members.
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