Missing people plea as Victims Minister says 'it's on all of us' to help
Everyone has a responsibility to step up and say 'enough is enough' on the issue of missing people, the Victims Minister has said.
Alex Davies-Jones said 'it's on all of us' to check in and spot warning signs with our loved ones. She commended The Mirror 's campaign for raising awareness of missing people.
And she added: 'We recognise that there's more to do and we will not rest in terms of our action as government in terms of protecting the most vulnerable and doing all we can to support that, and supporting charities like Missing People, because we know how vital it is.' It comes after Gordon Brown blasts the return of 'poverty of 60 years ago' as he makes one big demand.
The Mirror earlier this year launched its Missed campaign highlighting the forgotten, unsolved or underreported cases of missing people across the UK. It calls for a new cross-governmental missing children and adults strategy to better link up police, health and social care.
Ms Davies-Jones said more needed to be done to ensure agencies across different government departments work together to support individuals at risk of going missing, but also called for action across society to deal with Britain's biggest problems.
'Everyone has to take a responsibility for this,' she said. 'It is on all of us if we're to really make that big cultural change, whether that's on tackling violence against women and girls, on knife crime, on all of these issues, on missing people, then it's on all of us to step up and say enough is enough, and we need to change the course here, and we need to do some things differently.'
The Mirror challenged her about a lack of support for people who are found after going missing, with more than half of all missing incidents being a case where the person has already been reported missing at least once in the same year.
The Pontypridd MP replied: 'It's awful to hear that that's happening, and that's why we need to build that resilience and that support network around those individuals by better identifying them, better providing support, working with agencies across different departments.
'But also, I think, having a responsibility on all of us to check in on people and making sure that we are being responsible in terms of how we talk to friends and family and spot awareness issues.'
Mirror's Missed campaign secures victory
The Mirror launched its Missed campaign on Mother's Day to shine a light on the forgotten, unsolved or underreported cases of missing people across the UK.
When we launched the campaign, four mums, Julie Davis, Christine Durand, Nerissa Tivy and Sharon Lee, told us their moving stories as they faced another Mother's Day not opening cards or receiving flowers and chocolates from one of their children.
They spoke of their constant grief, torment and pain, as well as their hope that their children will one day be found.
Our campaign secured a victory after helping to reunite Deante James with his family after he went missing in March. The 17-year-old left the family home in Enfield, north London, after suffering psychosis due to unknowingly smoking a joint laced with Spice.
His mum, Vandana Bhogowoth, said she 'couldn't stop crying' when she discovered he had been found - and thanked the Mirror for highlighting their story.
Someone is reported missing every 90 seconds in the UK, but many people fall through the cracks. A few cases become high-profile, gaining nationwide attention from the media and politicians.
But many go unreported, with race, class, gender, sexuality, job choices, and familial ties often contributing.
Our campaign is calling for better support for missing people and investment in prevention. Readers can sign our online petition calling for a proper government strategy, led by the Home Office, Education, and Health departments, so that missing people and their loved ones get the help they deserve.
Ms Davies-Jones gave the example of a campaign spearheaded by a bereaved mum in her constituency which urges hairdressers to look out for warning signs of suicide. She said her constituent was passionate to start the campaign after her son took his own life and the one thing he would do every week was get a haircut.
'I'm not saying we would have been able to prevent that suicide or prevent anybody going missing, but by just spotting those signs and being confident that you can point them towards support where that's available, I think that's really, really special,' she added.
Every year, more than 170,000 people go missing, including nearly 75,000 children. Many are found, but others remain missing, leaving them at serious risk of harm and causing heartbreak for their loved ones.
The Mirror's campaign is backed by Missing People, the only UK charity dedicated to supporting missing children and adults, and their loved ones.
The Mirror's asks:
• Publish a new missing children and adults strategy to ensure police, health and social care play their part
• Invest in prevention for those at most risk of going missing
• Offer support to every missing child and adult on their return
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