McCanns help launch new missing persons website

Last updated at 17:28 10 August 2007

Harnessing the massive popularity of video-sharing website YouTube will help other families of missing children, the parents of Madeleine McCann announced.

Ninety-nine days after their four-year-old daughter was abducted while on holiday in Portugal, Kate and Gerry McCann announced the launch of a new section on the internet site.

Called Don't You Forget About Me, the YouTube channel will be devoted to helping to find missing youngsters like Madeleine.

• Watch the latest Madeleine appeal video here

It will feature videos of the children with the aim of raising public awareness about their disappearance.

A video featuring a series of photographs of Madeleine McCann has been posted on the new website set to the soundtrack of Simple Mind's 1980s hit 'Don't You (Forget About Me)'.

Still missing: Little Madeleine vanished in May

Sixteen other appeal videos have been uploaded on the site with other missing children from around the world as well as a message from First Lady Laura Bush and David Beckham's Madeleine appeal.
• Visit the website here

Don't You Forget About Me Madeleine McCann appeal

New appeal: The Don't You Forget About Me YouTube website that has been launched by Madeleine McCann's parents Gerry and Kate

The McCanns said they hoped it would find a different audience among the millions of young people worldwide who log on to the YouTube every day.

Mrs McCann said: "With Madeleine's abduction, we have been concerned about her crossing borders, and the internet reaches the whole world.

"We have had so much goodwill and support from everyone, we wanted to give something tangible back to help others."
Her husband added that it was a "really exciting innovation".
He told the BBC: "The idea is that it's using new media in a way that a younger generation really understand, putting music to pictures, and giving a completely new angle to missing children.

"We've always said we wanted to channel all this good feeling into something that will benefit other people."

The new site will be managed and policed by the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in Washington DC.

There are already 229 videos connected to the campaign to find Madeleine on YouTube, one of which alone has been visited 50,000 times.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-474486/McCanns-help-launch-new-missing-persons-website.html#ixzz1CLaCZw7h