The Editor, Sir:

Let us not allow little Ananda, and the other children like her who have been abducted and killed, to die in vain. I appeal to Mary Clarke, the current children's advocate, and to the media to promote and help to implement the proposed Ananda Alert.

I propose the following: The advocate should work with the commissioner of police to come up with a comprehensive plan to deal with missing children, including setting up a missing children's unit. This unit would work with all the necessary social agencies and do whatever is necessary to locate and free the child.

Corporate sponsorship

She should use her office to bring the media houses, advertising agencies and corporate Jamaica on board to keep the missing child's name and face in the public eye until the child is found. Outdoor advertising agencies, especially those with electronic advertising screens, could broadcast the child's features. This could be done free of cost by them as their contribution or she could get corporate Jamaica to sponsor the promotion with perhaps a line saying ... "spon-sored by XXXX company because we care".

The electronic media, both TV and radio, could do something similar preceding or following their newscasts with an introductory theme song or the Morse code sounds representing the repetition of the letters AA (for Ananda Alert). This would be followed by a description of the child and the details of where he/she was last seen, etc. TV stations would, of course, show the child's picture. The print media, including daily, Sunday, afternoon and weekend papers, could have a special prominent spot in the paper with special print indicating an Ananda Alert. Again, this could be done free by the media houses or with corporate sponsorship.

Have you seen this child?

People may not know what an Ananda Alert is, so the advertising, etc., would have to have something like 'Have you seen this child?' or other words indicating that the Ananda Alert is about a missing child. Eventually, people would get used to the term.

We may not have the huge highway signs or the other things that are available in the United States for an 'Amber Alert', but I believe that if the above was to be implemented, along with any other ideas that your readers may have, our Ananda Alert can be successful.

Please, don't let the children die in vain.

I am, etc.,

SISTER JAMES MARIE

sisterfitz@hotmail.com