"A child was taken to order from that room"

In the UK, somebody is reported missing every 90 seconds. Of these cases, a staggering 80,000 concern a child. That equates to 1 in every 200 children going missing at some stage of their childhood.

25th May 2018 was International Missing Children’s Day. Having spent the last year researching, interviewing and collaborating information on missing people, it is clear to me just how important this day is.

Children are young, inexperienced with life, small and often spooked. They deserve to be cherished, nurtured and supported. Through no fault of the family, a child may choose to run away and the effects can be heart-breaking for all involved. Sometimes however, due to broken ties or cracks in a family home, a child may feel the need to escape.

Occasionally, a child may be abducted by somebody they know or simply snatched from the street.

Kevin Gosden understands the pain of losing a child all too well. His son, Andrew, aged 14, withdrew £200 of savings on the 14th September 2007, boarded a train to London and has never been seen again.

Kevin described the loss as “ambiguous”. If a parent is told the tragic news that their child has been killed in a hit and run, a degree of closure is immediate.

But for Kevin, the 10 and a half year wait to hear any news of his sons whereabouts is crushing. “Fear and anxiety related to what may have happened to him are present, and a keen sense of loss is intermingled with good memories and hope that he may still be alive,” he said.

“There are periods during which I feel more hopeful and periods of utter despair. The best I feel is a day in which I do not wish I were dead.”

All the conflicting theories of where Andrew might be hang in the air; they are grabbed, investigated and often disposed of. Had he left to start a new life? Perhaps he had met a stranger online?

The reality is, frustratingly, hung just out of reach for the people Andrew has left behind.

“I continue to fluctuate on whether I feel Andrew is alive or dead,” said Kevin. “I feel trapped in a situation over which I have no control. We are completely baffled about why or where Andrew might have gone.”

Andrew’s case is not the first. Nor will it be the last.

Mia was 17 when she packed a bag and left her family home in Sheffield after a blazing row with her mother.

“I think I was too angry to think about anything. I didn’t pack anything sentimental. I just wanted to get out,” she said. “I didn’t leave a note or anything. I literally just left.”

Mia had no contact with her mother for two months, besides one brief text to let her mum know that she was alive. She had run away, moved 230 miles and set up a new life. A strong character, Mia was able to reconnect with her family after some time apart.

Many runaways, however, struggle to take the leap and reach out for help. A worrying thought that prompts the response for more to be done to help reintegrate these children back into a stable home life.

Equally, for children who have been abducted, a never-ending mission to ensure their safety and wellbeing is a paramount importance, with services such as the Missing Persons Bureau and police officers working round the clock to find all missing children.

“Sadly, because children are one of our biggest probability groups, a percentage of them will be exposed to harm whilst they are missing,” said Chief Superintendent Steve Cox.

“If you think of a 2-year-old missing in a shopping centre, there is a high risk and a lot of activity surrounding that. Even if they are just wandering around on their own, there is a risk of kidnap or a risk of them walking in front of a car. There would be multiple police sent to a case such as that.”

The charity Missing People also works 24 hours a day as a support unit for families looking for a missing loved one, or for a missing person who wants to return home. They broadcast appeals, circulate photographs or are just there for a phone call when emotions are running high.

The help they provide is positive for all; inciting hope for those in waiting and the necessary support for all found children.

John Stapleton, renowned television journalist, is the patron of Missing People. “Having lost our own son, albeit for an hour or so, I do have some idea of what it feels like when someone close to you goes missing,” he said.

“Your mind goes through a gamut of emotions; horror, fear, guilt. I think it is crucial that missing people get all the help they need.”

Over the course of the last year, I have discovered a desire to help missing people and offer my support to their families through my writing. It is for this reason, and for the upmost importance of reuniting families that have been torn apart, that I am supporting the International Missing Children's Day #TheBigTweet this year.