| Missing
Person Campaigns -
Current and Proposed
Within
Australia we have war memorials for service persons who have died
or gone missing in the
line of duty and police memorials for officers who have died in
the line of duty. At present there
are only two memorials dedicated to missing persons in Australia
– one at Mundurah WA and the
other at Bicentennial Park, Margate south of Hobart, Tasmania. Both
of these memorials were
created by the ZONTA
community service organization. Further memorials have been erected
specifically for Harold Holt in Victoria, Daniel Morcombe in Queensland,
the Backpacker Victims in
New South Wales, and Jaidyn Leskie in Victoria.
The Louise and Charmian Foundation seeks to have all missing persons
treated on an equal basis
and proposes that further memorials be erected with the assitance
from various state
governments. Given that the great majority of long term missing
person cases are undetected or
unsolved homicides, memorials would supply a place of remembrance
for grieving family and
friends of missing persons. These memorials would also raise community
awareness of missing
persons in Australia.
-
Allowing Victim Impact Statements in Coronial Inquests where a
death of a missing person is
deemed to have occurred by persons unknown or by a named suspect.
Currently within Australia, Victim Impact Statements are only read
aloud in court where a person
is convicted of murder or manslaughter. Concealment of a person’s
remains after murder often
results in the murder remaining unsolved, so the case is ultimately
referred to a Coroner’s Court.
Where a finding is given in a Coroner's Court for a missing person
that death has occured by
person or persons unknown, grieving family must be allowed to publicly
express their Victim
Impact Statements.
-
Greater media support of National Missing Persons Week - AFP
NMPW
If
you have any further suggestions for missing person campaigns please
contact us. |
