Kate McCann describes how her life changed after Madeleine went missing as she backs The Independent’s SafeCall campaign
Kate McCann writes a rare and deeply personal column Independent‘s SafeCall campaign reflects on the moment daughter Madeleine went missing and thanks readers for helping fund a new national lifeline for vulnerable young people.
The lives of Kate and Gerry McCann changed forever when their three-year-old daughter Madeleine disappeared on May 3, 2007, in the village of Praia da Luz on the southwestern tip of Portugal.
In an exceptional intervention published as part of IndependentIn the Christmas appeal for the charity Missing People, Ms McCann writes about how life is divided into a “before” and an “after” when a child disappears, and how the uncertainty that follows never goes away.
“I don’t talk much about details, but not because they fade; they continue to live quietly with you every day. Some experiences never go away; you just learn to carry them,” he writes.
“Every time I hear the story of a young person who feels vulnerable, scared, or at risk, it resonates so deeply. I understand the fear, the exhaustion, and the fragile balance between hope and heartbreak that families experience every day.”
“That’s why the SafeSearch service is so important.”
The SafeCall campaign aims to reach a target of £165,000 for a free 24-hour service to reach the 72,000 UK children who go missing each year.
Ms McCann says SafeCall represents “hope, compassion and the possibility of a different ending” for young people in danger and those who love them.
Ms McCann raves in her first newspaper column, published in a year when the McCanns faced further trouble with a lawsuit against a woman who was stalking them: Independent and its readers for helping to translate compassion into practical action through the launch of SafeCall.
Ms McCann describes the new, free service as a “safe, confidential lifeline” for young people feeling scared or lost, and says it offers families something equally vital: reassurance that someone is listening and ready to help before a crisis escalates.
By expanding the service with public support, more children will be able to access help earlier. It will build on the work of charity Missing People, with a dedicated helpline, a WhatsApp channel, a 24-hour chatbot and a redesigned website offering advice.
A young person is reported missing on average every two and a half minutes in the UK, and when launched next year the national lifeline will offer support, safety and connection to vulnerable children in need.
IndependentThe campaign to launch the service has been backed by prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, actor and writer Sir Stephen Fry, campaigner Dame Esther Rantzen, former England football captain Sir David Beckham and presenter Lorraine Kelly.
The McCanns made desperate calls for information after Madeleine’s disappearance.pain and despair“Living every parent’s worst nightmare. So far, no one has been charged with Madeleine’s disappearance.
In her column, Ms. McCann thanks readers for ensuring that fewer families are left facing the uncertainty that she and her family continue to carry.
