ICMEC supports the prevention and investigation of child sexual exploitation and abuse and children who are missing throughout the Latin American & Caribbean (LAC) region by:
- Supporting nations in creating country-wide protections for children through our Multisectoral Response and Capacity Assessments and fostering international cooperation.
- Providing training, hosting roundtable discussions, and fostering awareness of best practices on prevention, response, and victim assistance.
- Advocating for changes in laws, treaties, and systems to protect children throughout the region. Most recently, ICMEC assisted in the drafting and successful passage of legislation that criminalizes online grooming of children for sexual purposes in Guatemala.
- Expanding the Global Missing Children’s Network and developing protocols for the effective use of Rapid Emergency Child Alert Systems.
- Promoting regional coalitions and alliances between the financial and technology industries and the public sector, including law enforcement and NGOs.
Partners
Our work relies on coordination and collaboration with governments, private industry and non-governmental organizations that share our goal to protect children. Some of the partners in the LAC region include:
- The United Nations Office on Drug and Crime and UNODC Ropan
- Fundación Azteca
- INHOPE, the International Association of Internet Hotlines, a 45-country network working to eliminate online child abuse;
- INTERPOL, the International Criminal Police Organization, in Buenos Aires and San Salvador.
We are also an integral member of the Latin America & Caribbean Movement for Children (MMI-LAC), which promotes regional advocacy campaigns for child rights and accountability of governments vis-à-vis their children.
Contact us at LACinformation@icmec.org
