DNA Database Sharing An Innovative Way To Fight Child Trafficiking

By Fadzli Ramli KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 (Bernama) -- Established in 2004, DNA database sharing between countries by Program for Kids Identification (DNA-Prokids) is an innovative way to fight child-trafficking. Dr Jose A. Lorente, director of the Laboratory of Genetic Identification at the University of Granada in Spain, said child victims can end up in other countries, so the country of origin and the targeted country must work together to get the child back to their parents or relatives. “When we have an international DNA database that we share between these two countries, we can easily match the DNA of the child victim and their relative,” he said. “Then we can send the child back home." "DNA-Prokids is a program to develop worldwide DNA registries consisting of two databases, the child and their relative." Dr Lorente spoke at “DNA-Prokids: The Use of DNA to Fight Human Trafficking,” a one-day workshop here today, held in conjunction with the Second International Forensic Science Symposium starting Monday and ending this Wednesday. The founder of DNA-Prokids, Dr Lorente said the first DNA database consists of homeless children found living on the street, in shelters, in orphanages or illegal adoption centres, and the other consists of parents with a missing or abducted child. He said the shared DNA database will only consist of DNA codes and reference numbers, no pictures, names or any identification features. "Identification information is held by the country of origin so we don't have any privacy issues. When we get a match in the shared DNA database we will alert the two countries to take action. "Up to last week, we have more than 2,700 DNA samples in our database and have had 480 positive identifications of child victims and their relatives in our database. We also avoided 220 illegal adoptions with DNA-Prokids," he said. Dr Lorente said DNA-Prokids, which started its first DNA collecting project in 2006 in Guatemala, can be an important tool to prosecute the people who traffic children, by proving the child was taken from their family by force. Prof Dr Arthur J. Eisenberg, Chairman of the Department of Forensics and Investigative Genetics at the University of North Texas, said DNA-Prokids will help participating countries by doing the DNA testing for the programme. Dr Eisenberg, also one of the scientists behind DNA-Prokids, said the program can facilitate the establishment of a DNA database for a country that does not have DNA testing facilities. "This can be done by sending the DNA samples to DNA-Prokids. We will do the testing and give back the DNA data to the country. For countries that have DNA testing, we will find common ground to share the DNA database. "We also provide a DNA collection kit for free to the country. This sharing of information will not endanger individual genetic privacy, as only numerical identifiers will be made accessible to all," he said. Dr Eisenberg said media can play a major role in promoting DNA-Prokids so that people know there is a way to find a missing child and to combat child trafficking. "We need the media to show the importance of DNA-Prokids in helping them to find their love ones. I myself have three daughters and four grandchildren, and I couldn't have imagine my life without them. Neither can a victim’s parents. "When a parent loses their child, it is a good thing to have DNA-Prokids to find their child. This also important when adopting a child. The child's DNA can be cross-checked with the DNA database, so there is no illegal adoption," he said. Syuhaida Abdul Wahab Zen, Secretary of the Council for Anti-Trafficking in Persons (MAPO) said DNA-Prokids is a good complement to the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act 2007. "In Section 14 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act 2007, there are strict rules about protecting children from being the victims of child trafficking. "We need to study more about how we can use DNA-Prokids in our system. We hope Malaysia can be one of the countries in the DNA-Prokids program in the near future," she said. There are now eight countries that have a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with DNA-Prokids: Brazil, Guatemala, Indonesia, Mexico, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Malaysia and eight other countries -- Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, India, South Korea, Paraguay, Peru and Vietnam -- are still in the process of drafting an MOU with DNA-Prokids. -- BERNAMA