International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children

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International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children

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Creating a safer world for every child - free from abuse, exploitation, or risk of going missing - no matter what it takes.

The International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) advocates, innovates, trains, and collaborates to protect the world's children from abduction, sexual abuse, and exploitation. Through high quality research, advocacy, education, and technical assistance, the International Centre addresses the need for cutting-edge solutions to these problems. Since its inception, ICMEC has trained over 10,500 law enforcement officers, prosecutors and specialists around the world on how to handle child protection cases; helped 150 countries amend existing or create new laws against child sexual abuse material; and assisted in the development of 7 national centres to address these issues on the domestic level.

10/12/2026

Strengthening protection networks across Central America!

In collaboration with Airbnb , we hosted a specialized session focused on early warning systems to protect children and prevent human trafficking and sexual exploitation across short-term rental properties in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.

By equipping local hosts with practical awareness, early detection indicators, and direct reporting channels, we build a stronger safety net for children and adolescents in communities throughout the region.

Protecting children is a collective responsibility—every platform, host, and community member plays a vital role. Thank you to our partners and participating hosts for standing with us!

10/10/2026

Protecting those who protect children.

Every day, investigators combating online child sexual abuse are exposed to traumatic material that can leave lasting psychological effects. Their experiences deserve to be heard, and their mental health deserves to be protected.

Vicarious trauma and burnout are not personal weaknesses. They are occupational hazards that require an institutional response.

This World Mental Health Day, through our MindShield project in Romania, we call on governments across Europe to make publicly funded psychotherapy a standard part of child protection work — confidential, accessible without a diagnosis or justification, and with no record in personnel files.

Mental health support should be a standard, not a privilege.

Asociatia pentru Victimele Infractiunilor Sexuale

10/09/2026

In commemoration of the International Day Against Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking of Women and Children (September 23), our team carried out key actions across Colombia to strengthen prevention, public awareness, and interinstitutional protection. 🇨🇴

Here is a look at our recent activities:

1️⃣ Recognized in Bogotá: Honored by Secretaría Gobierno de Bogotá as a collaborating NGO in the Red Activa, fighting human trafficking and sexual exploitation in the capital.

2️⃣ Regional Consultation Panel: Participated in the panel titled "Violence Against Children and Adolescents in Different Contexts: Trends, Risks, and Responses" during the Regional Consultation on Child Helplines for the Americas and the Caribbean alongside Red PaPaz and Child Helpline International, discussing digital trends and challenges leading up to the 2nd Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in Manila, Philippines.

3️⃣ 33rd Ibero-American Congress: Presented our paper, "Missing Children and Their Link to Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation," alongside Asociación Afect: Asociación Feminista de Educación Crítica e Intercultural o to an interdisciplinary network of health and child protection professionals.

4️⃣ Demonstration at Bogotá City Council: Participated in a sit-in at the Concejo de Bogotá to raise awareness on the direct link between missing children and trafficking—encouraging the public to dispel myths around disappearances and report cases to authorities.

Child Helpline International
Red PaPaz

10/05/2026

Europol Cybercrime Conference 2026: Collaborating to protect children online.

ICMEC recently represented the child protection perspective at the Europol Cybercrime Conference 2026, held at Europol Headquarters in The Hague.

Over two days, the conference brought together law enforcement, EU and international institutions, tech companies, researchers, and experts to address the future of combating cybercrime—from operational and legal challenges to public-private partnerships, AI, and emerging technologies.

As online child sexual exploitation continues to evolve alongside new technology, ensuring child safety remains central to global cybersecurity discussions is critical.

Events like this provide an essential space to exchange expertise, strengthen cross-sector partnerships, and lay the groundwork for future collaboration. Protecting children online cannot be done in isolation—it requires continuous action across borders, disciplines, and industries.

Thank you to Europol and EC3 for bringing together this global community and driving these vital conversations forward.

📍 The Hague, Netherlands

🏷️ Europol

10/02/2026

Strengthening Victim-Centered Interviewing in Child Exploitation Cases

ICMEC Indonesia, alongside key partners, recently hosted the 3rd Victim-Centered Interviewing (VCI) Training in Bali.

Designed for law enforcement professionals, the training focused on trauma-informed, empathetic interview techniques that safeguard the rights, safety, and dignity of child victims.

Through hands-on role-playing, case studies, and cross-agency discussions, participants built practical skills to prevent re-traumatization and ensure children's voices remain at the heart of justice.

10/01/2026

ICMEC’s Executive Director for Government Relations, Tricia Fietz, met with Prosecutors from Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Serbia at the International Institute of Buffalo on Sept 14 to discuss Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. The group was sponsored by the Congressional Office for International Leadership under the One World program.

09/30/2026

Last week in Brasília, ICMEC and Roblox , with the support of TikTok, brought Brazilian law enforcement and global technology platforms together for the Brazil Law Enforcement & Technology Summit 2026.

Over two intensive days (23–24 September), cybercrime investigators, prosecutors, and Trust & Safety and Law Enforcement Liaison teams worked side by side toward one goal: faster, more effective action against child sexual abuse material and online exploitation.

🔹 Day 1 | Tech industry panels
Platform leaders walked participants through their safeguards, data request policies and emergency disclosure protocols. They also opened direct channels between industry teams and investigators.

🔹 Day 2 | Criminal prosecution & global trends
Brazilian investigators shared national case studies from CyberGAECO and Ciberlab. ICMEC also curated international capacity-building sessions on investigative techniques and emerging technology trends.

No single sector can protect children online on its own. When investigators know who to contact, what to ask for and how to ask for it, children get identified and protected sooner.

Thank you to Roblox for co-organizing, to TikTok for its support, and to every agency, platform and speaker who joined us in Brasília.

09/23/2026

En colaboración con el IDIPRON, ICMEC realizó recientemente sesiones en la localidad de San Cristóbal, en Bogotá, sobre la prevención del abuso y la explotación en entornos digitales.

Nuestro taller “Medios digitales: riesgos e impactos” llegó a 75 estudiantes de grado séptimo y se centró en cómo manejar los riesgos digitales, la importancia del consentimiento y cómo acceder a los canales de denuncia. 🛡️💻

Agradecemos al IDIPRON por su alianza para prevenir la Explotación Sexual Comercial de Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes (ESCNNA). ¡Juntos construimos un futuro más seguro!

——

In collaboration with IDIPRON, ICMEC recently held sessions in the San Cristóbal district of Bogotá on preventing digital abuse and exploitation.

Our workshop, “Digital Media: Risks and Impacts,” reached 75 7th-grade students, focusing on digital risk navigation, the importance of consent, and how to access reporting channels. 🛡️💻

Grateful to IDIPRON for their partnership in preventing the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents (ESCNNA). Together, we are building a safer future!

09/22/2026

🎙️ ICMEC Podcast · Episode 2 is live

What turns an everyday professional into an agent of change for children?

Host Pilar Ramírez, Vice President of National Capacity Building at ICMEC, sits down with Zuleima Manzur, our Online Learning Project Officer, to talk about Agents of Change, a course built on the combined expertise of dozens of child protection experts from across the globe.

Inside the course:
▸ Human trafficking
▸ Technology for good
▸ The human rights of children
▸ Understanding the offender
▸ Supporting children through a victim-centered approach
▸ …and much more

Built for frontline professionals: social workers, educators, law enforcement, healthcare workers, and anyone working to protect children.

No tech background needed. 100% free, online, self-paced.

🎧 Listen to Episode 2 — link in bio
📚 Start the course — icmec.tovuti.io (link in bio)

ℹ️ FUNDING & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This project is funded by the U.S. Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.

Levels 5 and 6 were developed with the additional support of the HEROES Project, Novel Strategies to Fight Child Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking Crimes and Protect their Victims.

The content published herein is the sole responsibility of the publishers and does not necessarily represent the views expressed by the U.S. Department of State, the European Commission, or their services.

09/21/2026

Our latest ICMEC MRC assessment evaluated capacity across Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, and Nigeria, revealing encouraging consistency in foundational child protection frameworks.

Although there is institutional willingness to advance, the evaluated countries face severe limitations in financial, human, and technical resources. Additionally, several countries must overcome the significant challenge of social and cultural norms that still validate or normalize violence against children, which hinders the implementation of preventive programs.

🔗 Explore the full Africa regional report on our website:
icmec.org/assessments/

Address

2318 Mill Road
Alexandria, VA
22314

Telephone

(703) 837-6313

Website

http://icmec.org/

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