CHILD protection stakeholders last Thursday began reviewing a draft proposal for the development of a nationwide child abduction alert system which is primarily designed to increase the window period within which a child can be safely returned to his/her family after being kidnapped.

The alert system has been dubbed the Ananda Alert, in memory of 11-year-old Ananda Dean, who was kidnapped a month ago, and for whom police is awaiting a DNA test to determine if she was murdered.

The project is being spearheaded by the local government ministry in collaboration with the Association of Local Government Authorities (ALGA). When completed, it is also expected to comprise a preventative component that would seek to equip parents and guardians with better parenting skills as well as the implementation of a uniform curfew for all students.

Speaking during a consultation with stakeholders from a number of sectors including, health, education and law enforcement, Robert Montague, the state minister for local government, said that parish councils would play a key role in mobilising the system in each parish in the event a child is abducted anywhere in the island.

“They have the responsibility for disaster preparedness and as a result of that there is a huge network that is available to every parish council that touches every district, every hamlet, every village in a parish,” Montague said.

The development of the alert system is in response to the recent increase in attacks on the island’s children. It is being done in accordance with the Child Abuse Task Force set up by the Government to identify appropriate initiatives to protect children.

The draft proposal recommends that once a parent or guardian reports a child missing to the police, the lawmen will be mandated to call the abduction alert desk that will be established at each parish council office.

“Once that call fax or e-mail comes into the local authority there will be a network that will be activated,” Montague said. He said a standard missing child form is also being developed and will include photographs where possible.

“We will also have the parish council staff put this information up at supermarkets, bus terminuses, at major points in the community where people are. The councillors will be asked to activate their network- the service clubs, the chambers of commerce, the various PTA (Parent Teacher Associations) and consultative committees,” he said. “We want to get the message out.”