Using DNA to Help Fight Child Trafficking

DNA–PROKIDS: http://www.dna-prokids.org/

DNA–PROKIDS is an international project aimed at fighting against traffic in human beings using genetic identification of victims and their families, especially in children.

Upon suggestion of the UGR Genetic Identification Laboratory, an international project for genetic identification of missing children and their families was set up in 2004. The goal was to not limit the scope of research to domestic crimes, but to spread results worldwide with the aim of boosting the international fight against human trafficking.

MISSION
To identify the victims and return them to their families (reunification); to hamper traffic in human beings thanks to identification of victims, and to gather information on the origins, the routes and the means of this crime (police intelligence), key elements for the work of police forces and judicial systems.

OBJECTIVES
- Promoting international and systematic collaboration, creating a worldwide database with genetic information in order to achieve:

reintegration of missing children into their families using DNA comparison with families of human trafficking victims .
prevention of illegal adoptions of kidnapped, stolen or trafficked children, by checking the biological link between children and their relatives (mother, father, grandparents) who put them up for adoption.
- Studying and applying improvements to enable police and judicial systems to fight more effectively against traffic in human beings, especially in children and women.

- Analysing and suggesting common legislative frameworks to solve the problem.

- Assessing and solving social and communication problems that hamper an effective fight against traffic in human beings.

- Providing collaboration for the coordination and training of specialists in genetic identification from different countries.

MEMBERS
DNA-PROKIDS in an initiative of the University of Granada Genetic Identification Laboratory, in collaboration with the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification and the Council for Justice of the Regional Government of Andalusia.

The project is also sponsored by BBVA, CajaGRANADA, Fundación Botín (Banco Santander) and Life Technologies (USA).