Get to know us

AMBER Alert Europe foundation

Amber Alert Europe Foundation

AMBER Alert Europe, the European Centre for Missing Children, is a foundation that strives to improve the protection of missing children and to prevent children from going missing by empowering them and raising awareness on the issue of missing children and its root causes. We connect experts from 44 governmental organisations, in particular ministries of the interior and police forces, and non-governmental organisations from 28 countries in our mission towards zero missing children in Europe.

 

Our activities

Our activities cover training, research, child alerting, and prevention and awareness-raising, as well as launching initiatives aimed at impacting policies and legislation in the area of children’s rights. Our joint efforts with police experts in the field of missing children even paved the way for a European police expert network in this area.

All of our activities are implemented in line with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and with respect for the privacy of children and data protection laws.

Our beginnings

As a response to missing children cases exceeding geographical borders, the AMBER Alert Europe Foundation was founded in 2013 to contribute to better cross-border coordination and cooperation in the search for missing children.

Since then, our network has expanded and now encompasses different experts from a variety of backgrounds who make their know-how and expertise available to improve existing practices and procedures for a fast and safe recovery of missing children and safeguarding of children against going missing or an abduction.

PEN-MP Group photo plus logo

Police Expert Network on Missing Persons

The Police Expert Network on Missing Persons (PEN-MP) is the official European missing persons police network consisting of police experts in the field of missing persons from all over Europe. The network was initiated by the AMBER Alert Europe foundation and is now officially affiliated with the Law Enforcement Working Party (LEWP) of the Council of the European Union.

The PEN-MP brings together over 80 law enforcement experts from 34 EU and non-EU countries. The goal of the PEN-MP is to bring together law enforcement experts in the field of missing persons. The PEN-MP enables fast and direct cross-border cooperation and communication between law enforcement experts in missing person cases. It also provides specialist support, advice, and training to participating law enforcement authorities.

Council of the European Union logo

Official recognition by the Council of the EU

The PEN-MP was announced in 2016 under the Dutch Presidency of the Council of the European Union. At its launch, the Dutch Presidency called on every Member State to appoint a national contact for the network.

In support of the Dutch initiative, a majority of 465 Members of the European Parliament from all EU Member States signed AMBER Alert Europe’s Written Declaration for better European cooperation on saving the lives of missing children.

The Netherlands
Henk Jansen
The Netherlands
Maurice Lenferink
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The Czech Republic
Petra Binkova
Canada
Carlo Schippers
The Netherlands
Frank Hoen
United Kingdom
Alan Rhees-Cooper
Malta
Carmelo Abela
Slovenia
Damjan Miklič
Germany
Karsten Bettels
Germany
Lars Bruhns
The United States
Caroline Humer
Luxembourg
Victor Reuter
Portugal
Patrícia Cipriano
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Mother and child reunited embrace
Why your donation is important

With your help
towards #ZeroMissingKids

Contributions to the AMBER Alert Europe foundation make a significant difference in the search for and protection of missing children. With your help, we can continue our ongoing efforts towards #ZeroMissingKids.

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The Netherlands Fundraising Regulator

The Netherlands Fundraising Regulator (CBF) is an independent foundation which has been monitoring fundraising by charities since 1925. The CBF’s task is to promote trustworthy fundraising and expenditure by reviewing fundraising organisations and giving information and advice to government institutions and the public.

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Public Benefit Organisation

The AMBER Alert Europe foundation is a ‘Public Benefit Organisation’ (Dutch: Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling, ANBI). We were awarded this status because at least 90 percent of our efforts are focused on the general good.