Lobby group Hear the Children's Cry has proposed an emergency response system as a key weapon in an aggressive six-point action plan to turn the tide of attacks against children.

The proposal comes in the wake of a recent upsurge in child murders in Jamaica.

"We are deeply saddened about these terrible crimes," Betty Ann Blaine, convener of the committee, said in a release Monday.

Blaine said the lobby would take a militant approach to attacks on children and aims to help facilitate national consensus on the way forward to "stop the slaughter of innocent children".

"We recognise that the first 12-24 hours are the most critical for action, regarding the chances of finding an abducted child alive.

"Our committee will also be lobbying the Government and other relevant agencies to look at introducing a high-priority nationwide emergency response system whenever a child goes missing," the release read.

'Ananda alert'

Blaine said Hear the Children's Cry proposed calling the system the 'Ananda Alert', after Jamaican abduction victim Ananda Dean.

Dean has been reported missing since September 17.

The programme would be fashioned off the Amber Alert system in the United States, also named after an abduction victim, and which has seen some success.

"Under the 'Ananda Alert' system, whenever a child goes missing, all the relevant security and childcare agencies would be immediately mobilised to look for him or her," Blaine explained. "A nationwide manhunt would be mounted using all available means, and encouraging every citizen to lookout for the missing youngster."

Blaine said a multi-pronged approach, including community networks, the media and cellphone technology would be employed to share information quickly.

The other five points of the committee's action plan are:

Lobbying the Government to amend the ruling requiring the police to wait 24 hours to initiate action following a missing person's report.

Lobbying Government to establish child patrol units in all transportation centres used by schoolchildren.

Lobbying Government to establish an effective school bus system for all Jamaica.

Pressing for a public education programme warning children about potential abductors.

Urging schools across the island to carry out a similar programme for their students as an urgent priority.