Real Life Fairytales

Little Red Riding Hood is often used as a message of ‘stranger danger’ by parents, to warn their children of the dangers of straying from the path.
One of the most publicised cases of stranger danger recently is that of Madeleine Mccann. Madeleine was abducted on May 3rd whilst on holiday in Portugal. Over 77000 children are reported missing each year. Child abduction offences have increased from 350 in 1995 to 1028 in 2006. Most child abduction convictions are not successful abductions but failed attempts made by strangers. These commonly involve children being enticed into cars with sweets and toys or being physically dragged from a public place. It is interesting to note that most victims are female. 9% of all stranger abduction attempts are successful.
The prospect of losing a child is unbearable to a parent and this is why Red Riding Hood and other stories are used to make children aware of the dangers that are out there. How ironic it seems that in this photograph madeliene is wearing a red jacket, just like that of Little Red Riding Hood.