SUZANNE McCARTHY,
Sir, - The unfolding of the horrific drama in Soham during the past fortnight has spawned fear in the hearts of parents everywhere. One child suffering the fate of Holly and Jessica is one too many and our hearts and deepest sympathy go to these parents who have suffered the ultimate tragedy of losing a beautiful child in the most unspeakable circumstances.
It is important, however, that we keep a sense of perspective in this whole issue. Kevin Myers's recent article on the perils of Internet chat-rooms, followed by various radio interviews since, could result in us instilling a fear of people in our children which would be, to say the least, counter-productive.
We could screw playpens to the floor, keep toddlers only at arm's length from us and endeavour never to let our teenagers out of sight, but would this contribute to their development as normal, outgoing adults? Statistics can prove anything, but we are assured that children suffer the majority of accidents while in the home and are abused mainly by close relatives.
Certainly the days when children could be allowed to roam at will are gone, but common sense must be allowed to prevail. We do need to bear in mind that, once again, the alleged abusers of these children seem to have been well known to them and to their community. We all need to take care of ourselves in these times and to take great care of our children, but let us not over-react to this awful situation by making our children into fearful, overly dependent frightened individuals. - Yours, etc.,
SUZANNE McCARTHY, Model Farm Road, Cork