Sir, - Much has been written in the press since Deirdre Crowley was murdered. It is particularly sad that the killing of this child has become a political platform for an ideology which has no place in discussing the issues raised by this tragedy. I do not propose to comment any further on the current investigation process until more information is available.
I was wrongfully cited by your columnist John Waters as stating that I "knew of no situation where there were fears for the life of a child abducted by his or her mother". I was merely saying clearly and unambiguously what was my own personal experience; I was not entering into the war between the sexes, as described by Mr Waters.
Where families break down, the children all too often become the focus for the hate and revenge between partners. The Irish Centre for Parentally Abducted Children has always focused its main activities on the needs and welfare of children in danger of abduction. Unfortunately, little research has been done yet in this country on the psychological effects of abduction on young children. We have made it one of our focus points to encourage this research.
The issues raised by abduction need to be discussed and understood. The board meeting of ICPAC last week called for a dedicated expert unit of the Garda that would respond with maximum speed when a child is abducted. All evidence suggests that the longer children are abducted or estranged from non-custodial parents, the greater the difficulty in locating them, and the more serious the effect on the child's subsequent recovery from the trauma.
Deirdre Crowley had been missing and remained hidden for over 19 months. This would not have been possible without considerable support from people who misguidedly thought they were showing love and care to her and her father. Now Deirdre's mother must live with the results of that particular judgement forever. - Yours, etc.,
Mary Banotti, ICPAC, St Ann's Parish Centre, Molesworth Place, Dublin 2.