MY DNA by Missing Children Portuguese Association.
This project aims the establishment of a child identification kit in Portugal, which also can suit other people, including the elderly and risk professionals, such as police, firefighters, etc.
The identification kit contains a DNA storage card, a saliva collection swab, nitrile gloves, biometric fingerprint cards, fingerprint forms and instructions for use.
This kit was designed by Missing Children Portuguese Association in partnership with the international expert on DVI (Disaster Victim Identification), Sir Derek Forest, Interpol expert and consultant.
The DNA storage card is patented by Fitzco, American pharmaceutical company, which authorized APCD to sell the patented card (inside the kit) in Portugal, Europe, Lusophone Africa and Brazil.
The virtuality of this kit is that it can contribute to accelerate the investigation and identification of a missing person .
In the event of a child abduction, parents who own “my dna kit” can deliver it to the police so that they can compare DNA samples collected at the crime scene with the child's DNA contained in the kit.
On the other hand, if the child is found dead and the body is not recognizable, parents will be able to know whether it is or not their child by comparing the remains with the DNA sample stored in the kit.
This is also true for seniors, military, police, firefighters and other risk professionals who can easily acquire this kit and store their genetic identification at home, avoiding the dna storage in a public or private database.
In the US the children identification program is based on a Child ID Kit, which is considered essential for the investigation of missing children’s cases.
To successfully complete this project, we need to raise awareness among teachers, parents and citizens in general , for the correct use of these innovative tools, which previously were only available to forensic experts.
This kit will help save lives, mainly when it comes to identify people in catastrophe scenes.
About the author
Associação Portuguesa de Crianças Desaparecidas is a non profit organization who has played it’s action very actively in the protection and support to families of missing Portuguese children and to children who, after being localized, had lack of support at a psychological level.
The Association was founded by several parents of missing children, with the help of technicians in several areas of knowledge, who wanted to raise awareness to several rules that should govern any child’a safety and, at same time, to recommend the appropriate procedures in case of a child is missing.
On the other hand, the APCD currently accompanies cases of missing children on a legal level, particularly with respect to parental abductions.
We are also founders of the Association “Safer Internet Platform”, which aims to protect children and young people online.
We still ensure an emergency service that operates 24 hours /day to answer calls related to missing children, child sexual abuse and child pornography.
We also have a fruitful cooperation with criminal police forces, with whom we are protocoled.
On November 17th 2013 we also signed a protocol with the National Commission for Protection of Children and Young People at Risk.
On 5th November 2014, the APCD has become the only Portuguese member of Amber Alert Europe, a European warning system directed to the disappearances that have been caused by kidnapping or abduction by a third party.
In May 2015, APCD became an associate member of Missing Children Europe.
On May 25th, 2015 ( Missing Children’s Day), the APCD and the National Republican Guard, decided to compile the most important rules to be observed by parents, educators and children in a very simple manual, which is distributed for free, initially via download on our website at www.ap-cd.pt.
At this time we follow (legally and psychologically) over 130 missing children’s cases.
Every year we record together with the Judiciary Police and other criminal police, near 2000 missing children cases.
Hundreds of children are sexually abused in Portugal.
According to international sources connected to human rights, child sexual exploitation increases alarmingly.
Also, trafficking in human beings is considered a criminal activity that generates profits comparable to arms and drugs trafficking.
In May 2014, APCD presented an IOS application named "Radar Kids" which allows parents and children themselves to trigger a "panic button" that will start an alert signal directly to the police headquarters.
Once the alarm is received in the police, they can see in their monitor where the alarm was triggered, once the app is based on GPS technology.
From the time the alarm is triggered, the information that the parents had stored on their phone about their child (name, affiliation, physical characteristics, Photography, age) goes electronically and in seconds to the police.
Apart from this function, the application will still have this year, the function "follow me" by which parents can track the path of the child.
We expect that “Radar Kids” will be downloaded by 5000 families in the first year.
Budget and due dates
The kit is based on a DNA storage card and has a durability of at least 20 years without any additional requirement.
In addition to the KIT production costs, there are costs in the development, marketing and proper dissemination to the general population.
Initially, to start the whole process, and in addition to financial and human capital of dozens of volunteers, we need 20,000€. This amount serves to start the production of the first KIT'S, with all legal and safety standards.
