Press Release

ICMEC 2025 Impact Update

Alexandria, VA, United States of America, (December 2nd, 2025)

2025 Delivery Highlights*

  • 165,000+ students reached through our Global Schools Initiatives 
  • 150,000+ people directly reached through our National Capacity Building activities
  • Global Missing Children’s Alert launched in 6 countries
  • 150+ countries impacted to date
  • 16 Country Multisectoral Response and Capacity Assessments delivered to date

*The full 2025 ICMEC Impact Report will be published after year end in early 2026

During 2025 The International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (“ICMEC”) has, so far, impacted hundreds of thousands of children, supporting the professionals focused on their protection. The work of ICMEC has now reached 152 countries. We have conducted 16 Multisectoral Response and Capacity Assessments analysing the capabilities of individual countries to protect children. Alongside our partners in law enforcement, healthcare, education, social work as well as in Government, business and beyond we aim to stop the evolving threat from malign actors who seek to abuse and disturb childhood.

During 2026 ICMEC will strengthen its strategic focus on technology, innovation, and communities of safety, underpinned by research and global partnerships. ICMEC’s Impact Report, detailing the successes listed above and more, will be published early in 2026.

This Giving Tuesday please consider donating: https://www.icmec.org/giving-tuesday-2025/ 

Shawnna Hoffman, ICMEC Chief Executive Officer, commented:

“The hard work of the entire ICMEC team has driven the remarkable impact we have seen in 2025. Since stepping into the CEO role, I have seen firsthand their passion and professionalism which is absolutely essential to our mission, and they give me great confidence in what we can achieve together.

In 2025, the launch of the Global Missing Children’s Alert platform and app was a powerful example of how technology, when designed and governed responsibly, can scale to create real, measurable change for children and families. We are already working with six countries, with 11 more ready to join, and we intend to expand our app across the globe as rapidly as possible throughout 2026.

The problem we work to solve is vast: finding missing children in countries and communities across the globe demands ambition that matches the scale and urgency of the need, and a pace of delivery that does not compromise. Technology’s ability to extend reach at speed also allows us to multiply impact, and it is past time that its full capabilities are focused on protecting children in our societies. 

Building on the foundation laid in 2025, 2026 will be a year of bold expansion, as we rapidly grow the network of participating countries, deepen collaboration with our technology partners, and scale this platform to reach more families, faster. Together with our global partners, we celebrate the progress already made while leaning into the urgency of our mission, determined to harness innovation at speed and at scale to find the 8 million missing children worldwide and bring them home.”

About the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC)

ICMEC is a 27- year old non-governmental organisation (NGO) working to make the world a safer place for all children by defending against child sexual exploitation, abuse, and the risk of going missing. Headquartered in the United States, ICMEC coordinates with partners around the world to develop research, technologies, and educational resources to aid in the search and recovery of children who are missing, fight child sexual exploitation, and empower caring professionals, institutions, and communities to safeguard children from all forms of sexual abuse. For more information please visit www.icmec.org or contact ICMEC at information@icmec.org. For media enquiries please contact us at media@icmec.org