It is amazing how the general public of Britain has rallied behind the parents of the missing Madeleine McCann.

In a way, it shows how we can support a good cause if we really want to (or if its pushed in our faces enough!), but I don’t feel that the parents have had enough criticism, because whenever anyone does publicly tell them off about carelessly deserting their children in another country to go out a dine with friends, they shrug it off. I don’t care what anyone says, what they did was careless behaviour and is actually classed as neglect under child abuse.

The only people I feel sorry for in the whole sorry situation is Madeleine and her younger siblings who were also at risk. And I support the parents’ efforts to get her back, not because of their pain and anguish (they bought it on themselves), but because of the suffering that Madeleine is going through, being away from her parents, friends and family.

I never thought that the parents were right in the head to leave Maddy on her own, and when they became suspects in the police investigation I wondered if there was some truth to it. Now it has come to light that the Portuguese police may not have done their jobs properly, everyone seems to be looking to blame them for the reason Maddy has not been found by now. But I have to wonder if its possible for a missing child to receive so much publicity all over Europe and not been found yet. It makes you wonder if she really is still alive. Considering that Gerry and Kate McCann has actually kept their daughter in the headline for a more than a year since the incident, it is quite a long time to not get any reputable leads or sightings. And I am shocked and horrified that British people, who think they see Maddy in another country, think its OK to try and snatch other children that they think could be Madelaine, simply because of the whole hysteria surrounding her. How dare they! Do they not think they might be wrong, or that ’snatching’ is exactly the kind of thing that started this whole mess? It’s ridiculous.

And looking at the Portuguese police, you have to wonder whether all this media attention prevented them from doing their jobs effectively. Initially they did say that they did not want the case to be so high profile and gain so much media attention because it would be more difficult to find her – the snatchers would make sure they cover their tracks. You have to wonder if this is want happened, because they haven’t even found a trace of her. What I do know is, all the speculation in the Portuguese and English media has been ridiculous. The public don’t know what’s true orfalse – anyone you speak to has a different idea of whats happening, so I think its hindered finding Maddy more than anything else. And then you have to wonder if they would have found her anyway when there are all these stories about the incompetence of the Portuguese police rife in the media. Why they didn’t follow certain leads - what the hell were they doing?

Either way the parents should still be locked up for neglect. There are so many children that go missing all over the world and yet this little British girl has suffered the trauma of being kidnapped and still suffering from whatever physical and mental abuse that she may be experiencing simply because her parents thought it would be a good idea to leave her unsupervised in their holiday apartment in Europe. Criminal.

Maybe the reason they are searching so viciously for her is to help them deal with their own guilt, and to be honest the whole incident has made them an example of what can happen if you’re careless with your children, or if you assume their safety. Hopefully lessons have been learned all round.