The hope and heartbreak of Kate McCann

Editorial: By supporting SafeCall, the mother of Madeleine McCann, who went missing in 2007, hopes her experience will be a light in the dark for the 72,000 children who disappear every year

Writing for The Independent today, Kate McCann speaks movingly about her own experiences as the mother of a missing child.

The story of her daughter, Madeleine, is obviously an especially high-profile one. Her sentiments, though, will strike a chord with everyone who has suffered such a trauma, and all should find them highly affecting: “Whenever I hear about a young person who feels vulnerable, frightened, or at risk, it resonates so deeply. I recognise the fear, the exhaustion, and the fragile balance between hope and heartbreak that families live with every day.”

And the feelings of those who love the 72,000 children who go missing every year are equally special and unique. Every human being is. Financially and otherwise, that is also every reason to support anything that can help reunite a family or provide that essential, precious relief of knowing that a child is at least safe.

Such assistance includes helplines that provide a safe, confidential link at moments when children and young people feel lost or unsafe. Such are the motives behind the launch of SafeCall, a free new service offering missing children confidential support, safety and advice. A child is reported missing every two and a half minutes in the UK – and, on average, one missing child dies every week.

For her part, Ms McCann speaks vividly about the emotional strain she has known and how “for families of missing children, that weight is made heavier by uncertainty, silence, and the constant question of whether your child is safe”.

That is why she and The Independent are so keen to support SafeCall, which will give “lost” children and young people a discreet way to gain advice, comfort, and support – and also give their families something they can rely on too. Friends and relations will at least have the comfort that someone, even a stranger, is able to provide support and an ear to listen to a missing child. Someone is ready to help them when, for whatever reason, parents, siblings and others cannot.

Children and young people disappear for many reasons. More than half have experienced conflict, abuse or neglect at home. Most, whatever the circumstances, return eventually. A few do not. All of them need help. That is why it is so important to give them a chance to speak to someone, in confidence, about why they felt the need to disappear.

Missing People, the charity behind the idea of SafeCall, reaches about one in four children reported missing – a remarkable figure. It hopes that, with your support, it can reach many more. The charity is small but innovative and ambitious.

Missing People is now setting up a helpline, a WhatsApp channel and a 24-hour chatbot to make it easier for people who have gone missing, or are thinking of leaving their home, to find help. The service is free, confidential and non-judgemental. The Independent has been reporting on children who go missing in this way and have had their lives changed for the better. Co-designed and piloted by young people themselves, SafeCall will offer the support, safety and connection they need.

The Independent’s goal is to raise £165,000 to help fund this new, free service, so that the 70,000 children reported missing each year can find safety, no matter what.

Donate here or text SAFE to 70577 to give £10 to Missing People – enough for one child to get help.