Child locators

[anotheoldgit]

In view of the little girl that has been abducted in Portugal isn't it time that moden day technoligy could be utilzed to make it easier to track down a missing child.

Perhaps a chip could be implanted at birth, that was trackable by satalite? This chip could be removed at the age of 16, to prevent the state from knowing our every movements.

This may sound like some mad futuristic idea, but our pets can have chips implanted I know this only identifies the pet, but could this type of thing also be a locator?

I do believe you can buy child locators that fit as a braclet, that warn the parent if the child wanders off or is abducted. Why are these devices not made more readly available?

http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/vbsik.html

[WaldoMcFroog]

Apalling though it is, cases such as Madeline's are actually extremely rare. Although certain sectors of the press would like to whip us up into a hysterical panic over the constant danger of our children being snatched from under our noses, this is not reality, and in any case the scenario would not have arisen if the parents weren't so selfish as to think they could leave their children alone in the first place.

But even though Madeline's parents were neglectful of their duties to their young children, it still has to be recognised that they were still extremely unlucky. They were not the only parents who would have thought it was okay to be a few metres away and pop back every so often; there would have been loads who did something similar and suffered nothing, except perhaps a guilty conscience in retrospect.

It would be far better for parents to be mindful of their responsibilities to their children in the first place that it would be to needlessly inject a device into them; indeed, it could even encourage greater levels of neglect.

[naomi24]

Perhaps it's an idea, old git, but the suggestion is a sad indictment on our society.

[I.Don No]

the best child locators are the parents themselves. No young child should be left alone for any reason whatsoever. I am not heartless and I do sympathise with what the little girl's family are going through but this situation, however rare, would not have arisen if the parents were not neglectful. And as is very often the case
it is the child that pays the ultimate price for that neglect.


Please dont get me wrong, I am not perfect, but I carried my children for 9 months, gave birth to them, loved them, fed, clothed, played with them, cleared up after them, sat with them when they were sick and until they were at an age when I decided they could venture into the world unattended I WAS WITH THEM AT ALL TIMES. They were always top of my list, a list I might add that I very rarely appeared on myself.


Isn't that what a parent should do?

[NJOK]

Wasn't it Chris Morris who suggested gathering the nation's children together in Wembley Stadium?

Then we know that they're safe.

[anotheoldgit]

It would be far better for parents to be mindful of their responsibilities to their children in the first place.

I agree to a certain extent Waldro, and in a ideal world guardians of children would not take there eyes off their charges for one minute, but I'm afraid it happens all too frequent these days. Why only yesterday, in the supermarket I saw some parents most relieived that they had found their child who had wandered off while they had been busy trying some clothes on.

When schools close at the end of the day how many times does one witness a group of mothers standing chatting away at the school gates, while their small children are running about aimlessly?

Abduction of children cases may be rare, but even one as got to be one too many, and any measures taken to prevent such happenings have got to be worthwhile.

[naomi24]

I feel so sorry for the parents. It's so easy to criticise, and they were very wrong to leave the children, but I'm sure they know that and I'm sure they'll never forgive themselves. How could they? I can't imagine what they're going through - or that dear child. What a world.

[NJOK]

It's a nice theory, but the cost would be absolutely vast.

And the same people demanding it would be the same people complaining about having to pay more tax. That seems to be the way of things.

[anotheoldgit]

We seem to be getting a little side tracked with this question.

I was interested in what one thought about some form of tracker device, not the whys or wherefores of this poor childs abduction. This subject has been adequately covered in other postings.

[naomi24]

Sorry old git. I don't think I've entered into any discussion on it before. I just got carried away with the sadness of it all, but now I consider myself suitably chastised.

I would hesitate to have such a device injected into my children. My dogs have chips and it doesn't seem right somehow to do to children what you'd do to dogs, although beign realistic it's probably not a bad idea.

NJOK. My vet was doing a special offer - �12 per dog. I can't see why it should be much more expensive if we adopted the idea for children.

[NJOK]

I would have thought it would be even cheaper than �12. Either way, multiply that by every baby born every day...

And then ask the public to pay for it... You know what people are like. Shame.

[anotheoldgit]

The state do not pay for one to have their dog chipped, so why do you expect the state (taxpayers) to have each individual child chipped? The parent would of course pay, money well spent I say.

[Oneeyedvic]

There was an idea about old people with dementia being 'tagged' for similar reasons. (their own safety)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6570511.stm

I didn't think it was a bad idea, but it was widely ridiculed.

[joko]

trouble is kidnappers etc would just learn to perform dodgy surgery to remove it if they wanted - a slice, a dig and a few stitches, which could result in infection, disfigurement, septicaemia and obviously pain and distress for the child.

the only way would be to implant the device deep inside the body - but that is obviously a serious surgery and risky

or ways to diable the device would be invented.

you would also then need the monitor to view the map on, so another expense, that many people simply would not want to pay.



the only w

[curiosity]

Funny enough I was just saying the very same thing the other day, it seems simple to me. I don't think it would alter parental behaviours around responsibilities. Also I work with young vulnerable people who sometimes run away and the police being able to locate a mobile if absolutely necessary has helped.

[Black Noir]

Whilst I agree with the principle in theory, dont you think it would mean parents would absolve themselves of even more responsibility on the basis that if you went to the beach/park for the day and your child happened to wander off "it wouldnt matter" because they could just look up where they had sneaked off to on Google Earth etc and go find them at the end of the day.

Also as a young adolesent 15/16 would you really want your parents knowing you were behind the bike sheds with your boyfriend ? Actually come to think of it - its a fantastic idea and would also dramatically reduced teenage pregnancies !

[cascarelli]

Tattoo a barcode onto their foreheads and have policemen with scanners at every road intersection.....

[rockyracoon]

I read an article a few months back in a mag. A wealthy american had his daughter chipped with this technology so it is available. But alas as joko said, the abducters would find a way to disable it or kill the child sooner than they may have done.

[Supernick]

Have to agree with joko here.

If you're a person who wants to rape and torture a child, I doubt very much that you'd care too much about cutting a chip out of them first. Apologies if that sounds doffensive to anyone

[kwicky]

I think you have a good point here. A chip was impanted into some scientist's arm recently so it is feasible. The obvious place is the ear lobe but years ago crooks kidnapped John Paul Getty Junior but they cut off his ear and sent it through the post to demand a ransom. So the chip should not be easily found.

[diode dug]

okay so chip is inserted at birth.

However....

If they want the child they would remove the chip asap !!
i dont even want to think what they might use.

good idea mind you, in practice a no go.