Members of the Lithuania presidential social campaign ‘’For a Safer Lithuania,’’ together with representatives from the U S Embassy in Lithuania and the Lithuanian police forces, joined the staff of the Missing Persons’ Families Support centre on 25 May in Vilnius, to remember all those who are listed as ‘’Missing’’ in Lithuania. 
50 primary school children gathered around the commemorative statue ‘’Mummy,’’ and released balloons to signify hope for the future and the possibilities of a safer Lithuania as they grow up. 
More photographs of the event at https://www.facebook.com/pg/www.missing.lt/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1782887905058094
 
In the event’s press release, Natalja Kurčinskaja, Director of the Missing Persons’ Families Support Centre, spoke about the issues and harsh realities for families whose children and loved ones are missing.  
The centre has now begun implementing a national training programme about Missing Children, to child welfare commissions (members of local municipalities, police, prosecutor’s offices, child protection departments, probation offices etc.) throughout all the Lithuanian municipalities (60).
In 2017, there is a specific emphasis on the dissemination of information about the European 116 000 Hotline, which is receiving extensive coverage. 
The centre recently featured on national TV, in discussions about the issues of missing children in Lithuania and the European Union.
Interview in Lithuanian language: 
http://www.lrt.lt/mediateka/irasas/1013669410/labas_rytas_lietuva#wowza
playstart=0&wowzaplayduration=2606000
 
Prepared by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications Person.

 
According to Europol, the volume of child sexual abuse imagery being shared online is increasing worldwide & so to identify victims and to catch perpetrators, police around the world must adopt new methods and approaches.
On June 1^st, police in Europol posted onto its website, 20 cropped images of everyday objects from the backgrounds of child sex-abuse images. The images included everyday items from shampoo bottles and shopping bags to distinctive clothing of perpetrators and victims & even buildings. They say that even tiny observations about the origin of an item can lead to an abuser being caught.
Europol admits that such an approach does carry risks, like tipping off an abuser who might be under investigation and the methods being deployed, but the agency says that it is balancing that risk against the threat of ongoing abuse of children as depicted in the photographs, which it wants to bring to a swift end. This can be seen as a last opportunity measure to finally catch the criminals involved in their investigations.
Anyone who recognises anything about the photographs, are urged to contact Europol. They can do so anonymously via the agencies website or they can do so via social media.
Full information at:
www.europol.europa.eu/stopchildabuse
Prepared by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications Person.