Majority of children reported missing left home voluntarily
Published:Friday | February 22, 2019 | 12:00 AMSashell Williams/ Gleaner Intern
The nation’s recovery strategy for missing children, the Ananda Alert, has pinpointed domestic abuse and peer pressure as the primary reasons why children run away.
Speaking against the backdrop of a preliminary study conducted in 2017 to uncover the reasons why children run away from home, acting head of the Ananda Alert Unit, Annadjae Roberts, disclosed that the most consistent responses were the fear of repercussions for something they might have done, pressure from peers, and the need for freedom.
She underscored that the unit has consistently found that the majority of children who have been reported as missing left home voluntarily.
Roberts says these findings have provided the basis for the preventative activities being undertaken by the organisation, among them empowerment sessions and positive reinforcement through education to combat the concerns highlighted.
“In March, we will be going to schools that we see record the highest number of children reported missing and doing peer- counselling sessions. We want to look at the positives that can be in peer relationships and use prefects and peer counsellors to be that positive change and encourage their peers to focus on their safety,” Roberts told The Gleaner.
The number of children reported missing in 2018 was 1,510, a decrease from the 1,674 reported for the previous year. Roberts added that the unit is looking to expand its alert system to bring those numbers down even further.
“Currently, information is shared via our websites, use of social media, in print media, and on TV. We also want to utilise digital-network advertising, screens that you might see in different establishments, and we want to expand to digital billboards,” continued Roberts.
The Ananda Alert system was named after Ananda Dean, an 11-year-old schoolgirl who was abducted and later murdered in 2008. The system, which was modeled after the American Amber Alert, provides counselling to children and updates the public when they return home.