The cries have gotten progressively louder about child safety as in recent times more and more children have fallen victim to criminal elements in the society.

The Committee’s Action Plan includes lobbying the Government to amend the ruling requiring the Police to wait 24 hours to initiate action following a missing person report; to establish a nationwide alert whenever a child is missing and child patrol units in all transportation centres used by school children.

The Committee will also be lobbying Government to establish an effective school bus system and pressing for a public education programme warning children about potential abductors, to be funded and carried out jointly by the Government, the private sector and the media.

In addition, Hear the Children's Cry wants schools across the island to carry out a similar programme for their students as an urgent priority.
 
Elaborating on the nationwide alert system, Convener of the Committee, Betty Ann Blaine is proposing that it be called the Ananda Alert, from missing 11 year old Ananda Dean.

Mrs. Blaine says the programme would be similar to the Amber Alert system in the United States, also named after an abduction victim, and which has proved to be an extremely effective national child abduction alert strategy.

She says under the “Ananda Alert” system, whenever a child goes missing, all of the relevant security and child care agencies would be immediately mobilized to look for him or her, and a nationwide manhunt would be mounted using all available means, and encouraging every citizen to lookout for the missing youngster.

She added that community networks, national media, electronic notice boards in popular centres, and cell phones and text messaging would be among the avenues utilized.

The Hear the Children’s Cry Committee is an umbrella group of organizations providing services for children and young people.

Established in 2002, it continues to focus on the atrocities of abuse, neglect and traumatization of Jamaican children, and to advocate for their rights and help provide practical support for families.