Abstract
The estimated number of 1.2 million child victims of trafficking every year is not only overwhelming, but a disgrace. Countering trafficking should be an ongoing legal, but more so humanitarian, effort. The application and usefulness of DNA identity testing is already well documented. To date, DNA-PROKIDS, which operates at the National Level in Guatemala and Mexico, has analysed over 220 cases. DNA analyses first and subsequent application of accompanying metadata have already helped to identify 93 missing children, who have been returned to their families, including one recent case in Thailand. If not for this intervention, it is likely these children would have been given or sold into illegal adoptions, would still be under exploitation, or would have died without identification. Additionally, their respective families would still be suffering the loss of their children. Beyond the identification of these children and returning them to their families, the database could play a deterrent role.
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Saiz, M., Alvarez-Cubero, M.J., Alvarez, J.C., Lorente, J.A. (2016). Forensic Genetics Against Children Trafficking: Missing Children Genetic Identification. In: Morewitz, S., Sturdy Colls, C. (eds) Handbook of Missing Persons. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40199-7_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40199-7_13
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