Using DNA to Combat Trafficking of Children and Possibility of Future Reunions of Stolen Children That Were Internationally Adopted

We discussed Ethical Considerations After International Adoption Trafficking Discovered or Suspected in October.

We have six posts so far on DNA uses in adoption. See here. Our first post on the subject was in January 2011 where we revealed that the result of a pilot program by the consortium DNA-Pro Kids in Guatemala yielded the results of “over 90% of the 220 individuals placing the children for adoption were not biologically related to the child”

DNA-PROKIDS  is 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).”

This project kicked off in 2009. The participants include forensic scientists from the US and many other countries that have trafficking issues, including China, Guatemala and Nepal. The full list is here.

Now Malaysia and and eight other countries, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, India, South Korea, Paraguay, Peru and Vietnam are in the process of signing a memorandum with DNA-Prokids. Eight countries already have a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with DNA-Prokids. These are Brazil, Guatemala, Indonesia, Mexico, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

“According to the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime’s (UNODC) website (www.unodc.org), about 1.2 million children are trafficked each year, and 20 percent of the victims of human trafficking are children.

The problem is indeed serious but law enforcement alone cannot combat this inhuman crime, so in 2004 a scientist from University of Granada, Spain – Dr Jose A Lorente – suggested a unique programme to combat human trafficking by using DNA.

Program for Kids Identification (DNA-Prokids) seeks to come up with worldwide DNA registries to be made up of parents with a missing or abducted child, homeless children found living on the streets or in shelters, and children found in orphanages or illegal adoption centres.

DNA-Prokids (www.dna-prokids.org) aims to identify missing children, to reunite abducted and homeless children with their parents and to provide law enforcement agencies a scientific method to help combat children trafficking.

“This programme also aims to gather information on the origins, the routes and the means of this crime (police intelligence), a key elements for the work of police forces and judicial systems.

“The goal was not to limit the scope of research to domestic crimes but to spread results worldwide, with aim of boosting international fight against human trafficking,” the DNA-Prokids website said.”

Five Objectives

“DNA-Prokids has five main objectives to combat children trafficking.

The first one is promoting international and systematic collaboration, thus creating a worldwide database with genetic information.

The second objective is studying and applying improvements to enable police and judicial systems to fight more effectively human trafficking, especially children and women.

The third and fourth objectives are analysing and suggesting a common legislative framework and solving social communication problems that hamper the effective fight against human trafficking.

“The fifth and last objective is providing collaboration for coordination and training specialist in genetic identification from different countries,” the website said.”

Using DNA to combat children trafficking
[Free Malaysia Today 11/7/11 by Fadzli Ramli]

How about adding an objective of reunion of children stolen and adopted to foreign countries? Once the infrastructure is there, why shouldn’t this also be used for that purpose!

REFORM Puzzle Piece