Almost a year ago, Madeline McCann was abducted by persons unknown while her family had a meal at a nearby tavern in Portugal. It's obviously distressing for her family and in the year that has followed the investigation has thrown up more accusations than it has answers. But the more I heard about it, the more that central question at the heart of the case kept coming back... why would ANY parent be more than a few feet away from their young child at ANY time on a holiday. If it were my child I'd probably be within a few square feet of the room. The McCanns and their friends weren't even in the building or in sight of their accomodation (albeit just a few minutes away), but enjoying drinks around the corner.
This week: another holiday tragedy.
I have a huge amount of sympathy for Fiona MacKeown whose daughter, Scarlett, was apparently raped and murdered and left on a Goa beach earlier this month. No person should ever lose a child and this was a particularly nasty end. The local police appear to have been totally corrupt and duplicitous in their efforts to cover up the incident (claiming that Scarlett had drowned and there were no signs of injury, when there were bruises all over her body and clear signs of rape and assault - not a mistake you could really make) and it's only MacKeown's tenacity that brought the truth to light. HOWEVER, Ms MacKeown says she has no case to answer as to why her FIFTEEN year-old daughter wasn't with her and was in fact regularly staying with a twenty-five year old tour-guide (whom she was having sex with) and his family while Fiona was up the coast with her other six children for several days at a time. For all the attractions of an alternative lifestyle, and the nice concept of exposing your children to the best of humanity, a parent must also take SOME care and responsibility in a world that is often not as nice as we'd hope or want.
Goa may be more sunny and 'natural' than being back in England where most people Scarlett's age are in school and taking exams - and attractive to those with an 'alter
native' lifestyle, but it is also an area rife with drugs, assaults on western women and plentiful alcohol. It may look like paradise, but its no place for an under-age attractive girl on her own... and most adults should and would know that - and act accordingly to place safeguards for their children.
In most cases parents who lose a child feel guilt for the rest of their lives, regardless of whether they could realistically have done anything different. Therefore it's quite amazing to watch MacKeown calmly discuss the fact that she feels not a shred of responsibility in the matter of how her daughter's path led to her death.
If the facts reported so far are accurate, I applaud her fight for her rights and those of her daughter, to bring the alleged killer to justice. But demanding your rights and pointing out others' wrongs (however true) seems to be more en vogue nowadays than demanding a person also accepts their own responsibilities. It's hard to choose to live outside a system and then complain it has failed you.
All power to MacKeown in her battle for justice over Scarlett's death... all good wishes to the McCanns for discovering the fate of Madeline. It's perhaps just a shame, albeit in hindsight, that the same level of attention paid by their parents to their fate wasn't given to their lives in the hours leading to that.
AMEN. the entire world is looking externally for fault (for everything) instead of taking ownership of their own actions. is it a wonder that society has taken a dump? gesh.
yes. tragic things happen, and for that I feel remorse, but being an inept person is not a reason for pity. sorry for the rant. :o)