The International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children

We believe all children have a right to live without fear of abduction and free from sexual abuse and exploitation. We believe every child deserves a safe childhood where they are able to grow into healthy and successful adults.

Our primary goals include:
1. Reducing the number of children who are abducted, sexual abused and exploited; and
2. Making the world safer for all children by increased the number of people who understand the issues surrounding child protection and are competent to intervene.

ADVOCATE
Propose changes to laws, treaties and systems based on rigorous research and the latest technology to better protect children worldwide.

TRAIN
Provide tools to professionals who interface with children to improve prevention, facilitate treatment for victims and increase the efficacy of the identification and prosecution of people who victimize children.

COLLABORATE
Build international networks of professionals across disciplines to anticipate issues, identify gaps and develop cross-cutting solutions.

WE ADVOCATE FOR CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD.
We advocate for changes in laws, treaties and systems to protect children worldwide.

Through The Koons Family Institute on International Law & Policy, we conduct and commission original research into the status of child protection laws around the world in an effort to bring about change.

By creating replicable legal tools, promoting best practices, building international coalitions, and collaborating with partners in the field to identify and measure threats to children, we bring about change in the way children are protected around the world.

WE TRAIN PARTNERS ON THE FRONT LINES.
The issues we work on affect every nation. We provide support, training and expertise to governments, law enforcement, policymakers, industry, civil society, and others across the globe with one goal in mind: to make the world a safer place for all children.

We deploy instructors and technology tools to bolster the capacity of law enforcement to investigate crimes against children. Working alongside law enforcement and industry partners, programs like Project VIC help speed up the identification of child victims.

WE COLLABORATE WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS.
Strong partnerships play a vital role in protecting our children, particularly as the crisis of child victimization is exacerbated by the Internet. We collaborate globally with civil society, governments and private industry, encouraging partnerships and coordination.

With initiatives like the Financial Coalition Against Child Pornography, the Global Missing Children's Network and the Global Initiative for Child Health & Well-Being, we are fostering cooperation across borders to build networks that allow for information-sharing and better practices.

GLOBAL INITIATIVE FOR CHILD HEALTH & WELL-BEING
Through the Global Initiative for Child Health & Well-Being, ICMEC is partnering with the International Task Force on Child Protection, which is comprised of members of the international school community, and the U.S. Department of State to deliver resources and training to educators and school personnel in more than 1,135 schools across 109 countries to combat child sexual abuse and exploitation.

The Global Health Coalition includes 33 health-sector members, including 4 of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, who have joined forces to address child sexual exploitation as a public health crisis.

GLOBAL MISSING CHILDREN'S CENTER
We have helped 11 countries develop Rapid Emergency Child Alert Systems similar to AMBER Alert in the U.S. There are now 23 countries with alert systems in place.

The Global Missing Children's Network, which offers resources to law enforcement and the public at large, to assist with preventing and responding to reports of missing children, currently has 28 member countries on 4 continents.

We have worked with 8 countries to develop comprehensive responses to the issue of missing children.

GLOBAL TRAINING ACADEMY
Since 2003, ICMEC has conducted more than 110 law enforcement trainings across 6 continents.

ICMEC has trained more than 10,500 law enforcement officers, investigators, prosecutors, and other specialists from over 115 countries.

THE KOONS FAMILY INSTITUTE ON INTERNATIONAL LAW & POLICY
Since 2009, The Koons Family Institute has hosted 160 interns and volunteers, resulting in more than 30,000 volunteer research hours.

Since "Child Pornography: Model Legislation & Global Review" was released in 2006, 127 countries have refined or implemented new anti-child pornography laws.

PROJECT VIC
Through Project VIC, we work with industry partners and law enforcement to reduce the number of images viewed by law enforcement officers during investigations into child pornography and help speed the identification of child victims of sexual abuse and exploitation. More than 250 victims of sexual abuse and exploitation, and more than 125 perpetrators, have been identified through Project VIC.

FINANCIAL COALITION AGAINST CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
To date, ICMEC has recruited 48 members to the Asia-Pacific Financial Coalition Against Child Pornography (FCACP), helping disrupt the flow of money that supports online child sexual exploitation. Members of the U.S. FCACP make up 90% of the U.S. payments industry.