Over the last two decades, ICMEC has worked in more than 120 countries, empowering the global community with the tools, training and technology to create a safer world for children.

Our Work

Powering the global search for children who are missing.

We work to protect children around the world from going missing by providing resources for governments, law enforcement, NGOs, and families on prevention as well as the appropriate actions to take in the event a child does go missing.

Learn more about our work in support of missing children here.

Disrupting the economics and mechanics of child sexual exploitation.

We partner with leading technology companies and the financial industry to identify and develop new global solutions that protect children from sexual abuse, exploitation, and the risk of going missing.

We advocate for changes in laws, treaties, and systems to protect children worldwide. Through The Koons Family Institute on International Law & Policy, we conduct and commission original research into the status of child protection laws around the world. By creating replicable legal tools, promoting best practices, building international coalitions, and collaborating with partners in the field to identify and measure threats to children, we bring about change in the way children are protected around the world.

Training partners on the front lines to prevent and respond to cases of missing children, child sexual abuse, and exploitation.

We provide tools, training, and technology to governments, law enforcement, policymakers, industry, civil society, educators, healthcare professionals, and others across the globe with one goal in mind: to make the world a safer place for all children.

Click to learn more about our training programs with law enforcement, educators, and healthcare workers.

Collaborating with key stakeholders.

Strong partnerships play a vital role in protecting our children, particularly as the crisis of child victimization is exacerbated by the Internet. We collaborate globally with civil society, governments, and private industry, encouraging partnerships and coordination.

Safeguarding Statement

The International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children is committed to safeguarding children globally from all forms of sexual abuse and exploitation, implementing robust measures to prevent and address such issues, ensuring their well-being, and promoting a future free from harm.

Our Regional Offices

Our regional representatives allow us to make our mission truly global. Regional representation in Australia, Brazil, and Singapore allows us to respond to local and regional needs, develop customized programs, and raise awareness of our mission.

Our History

In 1996, Belgium was shaken by tragedy. A man named Marc Dutroux, an unemployed electrician and father of three, had over the course of many years committed a series of kidnappings, rapes, and killings of a still-unknown number of teenage girls. Belgian Prime Minister Dehaene turned to the U.S. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) for help. NCMEC’s President replied, “You do not need an American solution to this problem — you need a Belgian solution.”

In April 1999, ICMEC was formed to act as an international NGO representing the best interest of our world’s children and recommending best-in-class child protection standards to be implemented around the globe.

With each new partnership, each new initiative, we take another step toward our goal of making the world safer for children.