This is hard. When someone runs away there is a lot of concern for their safety and it has been proved over the years that one of and if not the best way of helping to make sure that person is safe is to use publicity. Publicity could be posters with the person’s picture and some basic details on, an appeal in a newspaper or on a website as well as social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
One thing that publicity does well is get that person’s face out there, but this can be a hard thing for them when they come back. Their friends and relatives would probably have seen the publicity and this can lead to a lot of questions being asked and the feeling that everyone is watching and talking about them. Most of this would be done through concern and people being worried, but as with a lot of things, some people might not be so nice.
It would be easy to say here that after a few days everything starts to get back to normal and people get on with their lives, and a lot of the time that is true, but it’s never nice to feel that people are talking about you. Once all the publicity is recalled (and this is done as soon as Missing People, the charity that runs Runaway Helpline, has been informed by the police you are safe and well), things would hopefully start to calm down a bit.
The Runaway Helpline can only provide services to children and young people within the United Kingdom, and information and advice on this site relates to the UK only.
I understand