Below you will find the new toll-free number and a few services provided by the RCMP Missing Children's Registry.

• New Toll-Free Number
  
  
• Travel/Reunification Program
  
  
• Computer Age Progression
  
  
• International Project Return

Toll-Free Number

The Missing Children's Registry now has a toll-free Number
1-877-318-3576.

This Toll-free number is available throughout Canada and the Continental US.

Travel/Reunification Program

On October 2, 1991 the Honourable Kim Campbell, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and the Honourable Doug Lewis, Sollicitor General of Canada announced the inception of the Travel Initiative, designed to assist in the recovery of abducted children.

The program is designed to help a parent or a guardian who cannot afford to return the abducted child to or within Canada, once located. Canadian Airlines International, Air Canada and Via Rail have generously agreed to provide transportation when required. Choice Hotels Canada Inc. will provide accomodations world wide when connecting flights cannot be arranged. Our Travel/Reunification program would not be possible without corporate sponsorship.

In order to be eligible for travel assistance, the following guidelines must be met.

1. The request for transportation must come from the investigating Police Department, or the Central Authority from the child's home province.
2. The requesting agency is responsible for assesing the financial status of the family and determining if free transportation should be provided.
3. The requesting agency must ensure that all the necessary documents are in order. e.g. - custody order - passport - child's birth certificate.
4. Arrangements will only be initiated once confirmation has been received that the child can be removed legally and is in custody of local authorities. Parent or Guardian must be able to obtain legal physical custody of the child upon arrival.
5. All request must be faxed to the Missing Children's Registry c/o Sgt. John Oliver or Cpl. Stephan Lemire Fax # (613) 993-5430.

Computer Age Progression

Funding from Brighter Futures Child Development Initiative, a program aimed at the protection of children at risk, has made it possible for the Missing Children's Registry to purchase computers and software to facilitate age progression of a person by way of computers.

Age progression is a combination of science and art. It enables a trained Forensic Artist to create from photographs a portrait with a likeness of what the missing child would look like today.

When a child has been reported missing it is essential that the investigating police officer has a complete description and other important information anout the child. When a child has been missing for over an extended period of time the original photographs of the child become outdated. It is important that an investigator has up-to-date photographs of the child for verification of sightings, for use on flyers and posters, as well as being helpful in generating new leads for the police. It would be unlikely that a child on a poster would be recognized if the photograph portrays the child at a young age and he/she is now two or more years older.

The main objective of the Missing Children's Registry is to assist police nationally and Internationally, in the search and recovery of missing children. The Missing Children's Registry feels that this technology can be an extremely useful tool to an investigator and will enhance our ability to assist police departments across the country.

This service is available to all police forces across Canada and Internationally, where the service is not available. It may be utilized at any time by contacting the Missing Children's Registry.

The following age progression of Aziza Ismail demonstrates the results of the computer age progression system.

The ideal criteria for a Request for Computer Age Progression of missinc children

• The child must be a minimum of two (2)years of age.
• The child must be missing for a minimum of two (2) years.
• Photographs of the child taken as close to the day of disappearance as possible must be available, preferably a frontal view.
• Provide photographs of the biological parents and/or brothers and sisters at the age the child's photo is being enhanced to.
• Provide photographs of the biological parents and/or brothers and sisters at the same age as the child was when last seen, most suitably in the same position as the photo of the child.
• Photographs may be in either black & white or colour.
• The best photographs are the "school picture" type. The more photos available, the better chance the forensic artist has of getting a good likeness.

If your department feels that his service would be of value to you, or if you require further information on computer age progression please contact our office.

International Project Return

International Project Return is part of a joint initiative, called Our Missing Children among Revenue Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). This initiative helps return abducted children and runaways to their homes. To fulfill its role, Revenue Canada's more than 3,600 customs inspectors keep alert for abducted children and runaways at international airports and border crossings.

When you cross international borders

Since customs inspectors pay extra attention to children as they enter Canada, children traveling without proper identification or with adults who are not their legal guardians may be interviewed more thoroughly. This additional security ensures the safety of the children. To help you avoid delays at international borders, consider the following:

• Always have identification for your children, no matter how old they are. Birth certificates are preferable, but if such a document is not available, obtain a letter stating that you are the children's parent or guardian from your doctor or lawyer, or from the hospital where the children were born.
• If you are separated or divorced, carry legal documents about custody rights.
• If you are not the legal custodian of the children, carry a letter of permission from the legal custodian that authorizes you to have the custody of the children when entering Canada. This permission letter should contain addresses and telephone numbers where the legal custodians or parent can be reached.
• If you are traveling with a group of vehicles, be sure you are in the same vehicle as your children when you arrive at the border.

General safety advice

International Project Return will be even more successful if you take a few preventive measures to safeguard your children. For example:

• Never leave your children unattended.
• Discuss scenarios with your children - teach them what to do if they get lost in shopping malls, busy streets, or other crowded areas.
• Keep up-to-date photos of your children - school photos are the best.
• Have your children fingerprinted. Your local police force can tell you which agencies in your area offer this service.
• Have your children memorize your home or office telephone number. Teach them how to reach you by phone.
• Teach you children how to use 9-1-1 in case of emergency.
• Tell your children not to trust strangers. Educate them about what to do if someone tries to entice them into a vehicle or home, and teach them not to take anything from strangers unless you give your approval.
• If you are separated or divorced, let your children's school administrators know about visitation rights. For example, tell them whether or not your ex-spouse is allowed to pick up the children.

Need more information?

Please call:

Suzanne Mole or Ann Petricca-Allen
Co-ordinator
International Project Return
Revenue Canada

Telephone: (613)993-7596 or (613) 990-8585
Fax: (613)993-5430
Ottawa

or call one of the following numbers:

Atlantic
(902)426-1954
(8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)
Halifax


Quebec
(514)283-0141 (24hrs.)
Montréal

(514)248-4317
(9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
St-Armand/Philipsburg


Northern Ontario
(613)991-0512
(8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.)
Ottawa


Southern Ontario
(905)354-6602
(7:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.)
Hamilton

(519)337-6922 (24 hrs.)
Sarnia

(905)277-6371
(8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)
Toronto

(519)257-6469 (24 hrs.)
Windsor


Prairies
(204)983-7903
(8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)
Winnipeg

(403)221-3239
(7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
Calgary


Pacific
(604)538-3643 (24hrs.)
Surrey