Sofía Alert: what is the new system of search for missing children and how it works

A child under 18 is missing. There is a complaint and an ongoing investigation. The investigating authority requests it. A committee badesses the seriousness of the case before an alleged commission of a crime. If warranted, the federal Missing and Missing Persons Search System (SIFEBU) allows it. In this case, Sofia Alert comes into play, the new emergency system that has already started functioning for cases clbadified as extremely urgent and presenting a high imminent risk.

The program was presented yesterday by Security Minister Patricia Bullrich at a meeting attended by Facebook's Director of Trust and Security, Emily Vacher; the South American Legal Affairs Officer, Rick Cavalieros; and the director of the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC), Caroline Humer.

The system emulates the Amber Alert model, created in 1996 in the United States following the disappearance of Amber Hagerman, and which has been reproduced internationally. It has already been implemented in Australia, Canada, the United States, France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Ecuador.

In the local case, her name refers to Sofía Herrera, the girl who disappeared more than ten years ago in Tierra del Fuego when she was 3 years old and was last seen at a campsite in Río Grande. September 28, 2008.

"I am very moved and grateful that she is named after my daughter because behind the sadness and pain of my search every time this is mentioned, it will be a way to keep looking for her," said Maria , Sofia's mother. Elena Delgado, who was also present at the launch.

Unlike others, Alerta Sofía involves citizen participation in research. Its purpose is to ask the collaboration of the company. When it is activated, immediately broadcasts a poster containing accurate information about the child or teen lost through media, emails and the social network Facebook. The name, age, a photo, the details of the last place where it was seen, the physical description of a person or the data of a vehicle involved, and anything that can guide the recipient. In the social network, users can share the alert or get more information by clicking on an attached link.

The references reach mobile devices that reach a certain operating radius, a limited area. For a case in Buenos Aires, no cooperation will be requested in Mendoza, for example.

According to official statistics, 7,000 cases of missing children are registered each year (64% correspond to women and 36% to men). Of these, 60% appear. More than 90% of positive results are reported in the first 72 hours, a crucial period for research. Of the total, less than 1% (an average of 34 cases) are crime-related losses.

Given the context, the implementation of the system will be minimal, in line with international experience, indicating that alerts are issued 2-3 times a year.

"The idea is not to make this tool a permanent reminder of old cases that occur or lose children in all circumstances, but to sound the alarm of a specific event. more frequently, it will lose its power and efficiency, "explain the developers.

Alerta Sofía is composed of a national committee composed of the Ministry of Security, the Attorney General of the Nation, the National Secretariat for Children, Adolescents and Family (SENNAF) of the Ministry Social Development, ENACOM, Ombudsman of the Nation, the Council of Lawyers, Prosecutors, Lawyers and Counselors of the Argentine Republic and the NGO Missing Children.

Source: Infobae

EB