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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To wonder why this missing girl hasn't been in the news?

106 replies

BorisJohnsonsHair · 15/02/2023 21:05

news.sky.com/story/mariama-kallon-police-launch-appeal-to-find-13-year-old-girl-missing-from-home-in-london-12811846

Really hope she's found soon

OP posts:
Dijoduo · 15/02/2023 21:06

She has been in the news. You’ve linked to the news.

smallandimperfectlyformed · 15/02/2023 21:07

I saw a story on her today, and wondered if she'd been found as she's been missing since 9th February. I understand she's gone missing a few times before but she's only 13. It's horrible. I hope she's found soon.

MoneyInTheBananaStand · 15/02/2023 21:07

Poor kid. Sounds like her home life isn't great. Is she in care I wonder? I hope she's safe wherever she is and turns up soon.

steff13 · 15/02/2023 21:08

I wonder what's going on a her home that she keeps running away.

ReignBeauDash · 15/02/2023 21:09

She hasn't been in the news because

a) it's not the first time she's gone missing, so it's not out of character or suspicious
b) she's been sighted twice so it's not thought she's come to any harm
c) she's not white and blonde (appalling that this affects coverage but unfortunately true)

Dijoduo · 15/02/2023 21:09

If you’re actually asking for by it’s not bigger news, it’s because she’s run away before and was seen in different clothes on other days after she went missing. So she’s not been kidnapped or murdered, she’s left of her own accord and is staying somewhere where she has shelter and access to clothing etc. Essentially, she’s not likely to come to very serious harm in the immediate future and so other news is taking priority for public attention (like cases where someone could be in immediate or urgent danger).

JustAGirlInACountrySong · 15/02/2023 21:10

How dumb!

You've literally just linked to the news? She's in the news

Confused19831983 · 15/02/2023 21:11

ReignBeauDash · 15/02/2023 21:09

She hasn't been in the news because

a) it's not the first time she's gone missing, so it's not out of character or suspicious
b) she's been sighted twice so it's not thought she's come to any harm
c) she's not white and blonde (appalling that this affects coverage but unfortunately true)

This

Meredusoleil · 15/02/2023 21:14

I heard about her the 1st time she went missing. Then heard she had been found and had gone back home. So it's news to me that she's gone missing once again! Must be something going on at home that she is trying to get away from 😐

AffableApple · 15/02/2023 21:14

If only Sky News would write an online article about her, eh?

HyacinthineMacaw · 15/02/2023 21:17

The global missing children’s network says that an average of 112,853 children are reported missing in the UK each year. The charity Missing People estimates 70,000. So many. There wouldn’t be enough news time to cover them all. The vast majority return quickly, or are found to be safe and well but somewhere other than at home. Appeals are usually made when information from the public could help find a missing person. In other circumstances, publicising a particular missing child could place them in greater danger. There are a number of factors which dictate which cases the public hears about. Sadly as we all know, one of these is likely to be institutional racism. But not all.

AffableApple · 15/02/2023 21:18

Also, kids go missing all the time. They don't get written about. That she's made the editorial cut to have an article written about her is a big deal.

BorisJohnsonsHair · 15/02/2023 21:19

For all those saying "you've linked to the news" ... She's been missing for 6 days and until today there's been nothing in the mainstream media.

Whether she has run away or not she is only 13 years old and very vulnerable.

OP posts:
ChristinaXYZ · 15/02/2023 21:32

I've seen quite a bit about her on social media today and you have linked to news item. I think that the fact it is not out of character will be the main reason. Plus there are so many otehr stories grabbing the headlines. There are kids going missing all the time that don't get covered by the news.

Confused19831983 · 15/02/2023 21:33

As others have said, she's run away before and no harm has come to her. Kids, especially teens, run away all the time. Every day. If the national media covered the story of every missing kid they wouldn't have space to run anything else. I am actually surprised Sky News has reported this in the first place.

leithreas · 15/02/2023 21:36

BorisJohnsonsHair · 15/02/2023 21:19

For all those saying "you've linked to the news" ... She's been missing for 6 days and until today there's been nothing in the mainstream media.

Whether she has run away or not she is only 13 years old and very vulnerable.

Vulnerable 13 year olds runaway all of the time. There would be no room for any other news if every runaway teen was featured in the news. It's sad, awful that she feels home isn't somewhere safe but really it is an issue for the police and social services. I don't think a vulnerable 13 will benefit from having her business splashed all over the news for the general public to slobber over.

HipposHaveNipples · 15/02/2023 21:37

She's been missing before. She's been sighted which suggests she has chosen to go missing. She's not white and middle class.

All of those factors combined means it's not going to be headline news - it's very likely she'll be tracked down shortly or will return home of her own accord. She hasn't been abducted.

Iknownononono · 15/02/2023 21:38

For perspective, around 100,000 teens run away from home overnight each year. That would mean there would need to be 300 in the news every single day even if we don’t include the fact that many of that 100,000 run away multiple times and for multiple nights. It’s estimated 77,000 under 16s run away around 130,000 times in a year. It sounds reasonable to think every 13yo runaway should be headline news until you realise that it is very, very, very common.

LuluBlakey1 · 15/02/2023 21:40

People go missing every day. It rarely makes more than the local news unless it's a small child or a pretty, middle-class white woman. Most don't make even the local news, especially if they have done the same before or been seen in the locality.

Thebean123 · 15/02/2023 22:18

M I'll

Quveas · 15/02/2023 22:20

leithreas · 15/02/2023 21:36

Vulnerable 13 year olds runaway all of the time. There would be no room for any other news if every runaway teen was featured in the news. It's sad, awful that she feels home isn't somewhere safe but really it is an issue for the police and social services. I don't think a vulnerable 13 will benefit from having her business splashed all over the news for the general public to slobber over.

Unlike a missing 45 year old who is white, blonde, middle class from a na-ice area, and who has 10+ threads slobbering over her on this site alone? Splashing her business all over the news for the general public to salivate over hasn't stopped anyone, has it? I think a 13 year old deserves as much. Or isn't she the right kind of girl?

Just when I think this site can't plumb the depths any further, it just keeps on giving...

Reclaimtheoutdoors · 15/02/2023 22:21

ReignBeauDash · 15/02/2023 21:09

She hasn't been in the news because

a) it's not the first time she's gone missing, so it's not out of character or suspicious
b) she's been sighted twice so it's not thought she's come to any harm
c) she's not white and blonde (appalling that this affects coverage but unfortunately true)

Yep. Summed it up perfectly.

YukoandHiro · 15/02/2023 22:24

@Dijoduo 😂😂
you got there before me

TheGrimSqueakersFlea · 15/02/2023 22:40

I ran away a few times when I was 13-15 but never made the news. They don't report every case

Zola1 · 15/02/2023 22:46

BorisJohnsonsHair · 15/02/2023 21:19

For all those saying "you've linked to the news" ... She's been missing for 6 days and until today there's been nothing in the mainstream media.

Whether she has run away or not she is only 13 years old and very vulnerable.

Kids are frequently missing and it's only if they're gone 72 hours that a press release will happen, unless they are assessed as high risk. Sometimes high risk kids won't have a press release as it could increase the risk to them.
I used to work in a missing children service and one of our longest mispers was 50+ days, he didn't make any news as he wasn't high risk, there were sightings and it was half known where he was likely to be staying they just couldn't pin him down