AMBER Alert International – Issue 4 2022

Families in the United Kingdom have a new resource to help them deal with all the issues they need to face when a family member goes missing. The Missing Persons Information Hub provides information and organizations that can help families with a missing loved one. Missing persons expert Charlie Hedges created the website and has received support from AMBER Alert Europe, the Alzheimer’s Society, several universities, and other missing person organizations. Hedges said he wanted to offer something simple for families in crisis. Though he has been dedicated to missing persons work for more than 25 years, “due to its complexities, I still find it hard to find what I am looking for,” he explained.

Nigeria is now using the social media reach of Facebook to curb online child trafficking and the buying and selling of children. The African country is working with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to utilize Facebook for protecting children, including posting AMBER Alerts. “Over 40 percent of victims are now recruited online, and this has raised concerns considering the impact of the social media on our children,” said Amarachi Kene-Okafor with the Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour.

AMBER Alert Europe’s 2021 Report details efforts with the #ZeroMissingKids campaign during the past year. The organization is continuing plans to have a “Common European Approach on Missing Children and Missing Persons.” The report notes that for the first time, all 27 European Union (EU) Member States agreed to the “Council Conclusions on Stepping Up Cross-Border Police Cooperation in the Area of Missing Persons.”

The Bahamas initiated its first “Marco Alert” for a missing 17-year-old girl in July 2022. Marco is an acronym for Mandatory Action Rescuing Children in Operation. Bahamian officials said some mistakes were made while issuing the alert and a review will be done to improve future efforts to find missing children.