In our interview series, decision makers share their vision for a world where no child goes missing. This time, MEP Tomáš Zdechovský (CD), initiator of the most successful Written Declaration since 2011, elaborates on his reasons for supporting AMBER Alert Europe’s “One missing child is one too many” campaign.
“For a long time, I have worked with children on the street. I know how important it is to be informed when a child goes missing”, says MEP Zdechovský. “Spreading information on a missing child quickly and efficiently is vital if we want to achieve a Europe where no child is missing.” In 2016, Zdechovský led the Written Declaration on improving European cooperation in saving the lives of missing children in Europe.
The lack of internal borders between EU member states poses challenges to recover missing children. Abductors could easily take a child across the border without anyone knowing. According to Zdechovský, these challenges can be tackled by having AMBER Alert systems in place in each country and improving law enforcement cooperation across borders. “If a child goes missing in the Czech Republic, you need to cooperate with border countries such as Germany, Austria, Poland and of course Slovakia.”
