Supported by Computer Associates, National Missing Persons Unit & Family Court of Australia 

GLOBAL NETWORK OF CA-SPONSORED SITES WORKS TO REUNITE FAMILIES

Canberra, 29 November 2000: Senator the Honourable Amanda Vanstone, Australia’s Minister for Justice and Customs and John Ruthven, Divisional Senior Vice President and Managing Director Computer Associates Australia, today announced the launch of the Global Missing Children’s (Australia) Network sponsored by Computer Associates International, Inc. (CA). The site is part of an international network designed to reunite missing children with their families.

Computer Associates donated software and worked with the National Missing Persons Unit (NMPU) at the Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence to develop the Australian site (http://au.missingkids.com) - the tenth international site with which CA has been associated.

The Australian link in a global technology initiative was launched at an event held in Parliament House, Canberra, Australia. The Minister said, “While approximately 99.5% of our 20,000 missing children are located, most within hours, the effect on family and friends, waiting to learn what has happened, can be devastating. I congratulate those involved with this initiative which supports Australia’s families."

The Honourable Alastair Nicholson, AO RFD, Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia, explained, “The family is the fundamental unit of our society. The Family Court of Australia places children and families first and seeks, wherever possible, for children to enjoy contact with both parents. When a child is taken by one parent, it is vital to encourage them to return to the Court for resolution. The use of technology to assist that goal, together with partnerships which make it possible, is to be applauded.”

 John Ruthven said “CA believes we have an intrinsic obligation to ensure that the new technologies we develop are effectively applied to alleviate human pain and suffering wherever and whenever possible. It is our hope that this effort will serve as an example of what can be accomplished when business, governments and individuals work together for the common good.”
John Ure, Director of the ABCI, said, “The NMPU is proud to be joining law enforcement agencies around the world through this international affiliation, working to reunite missing children with their loved ones.”
The Australian site will carry important prevention messages as well as photographs and information about children reported missing in Australia. Special age progression technology will allow identification from photographs, even years after a child's disappearance.

The new site will be managed by the NMPU under the umbrella of the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC, http://icmec.missingkids.com). Through software and support provided by Computer Associates, the NMPU is linked via a Virtual Private Network over the Internet to a central database maintained by the ICMEC and coordinated with similar sites in nine other countries.

Visitors can search the Network for information on missing children using a range of descriptors such as gender, height and age and posters of missing children can be printed directly from the Network.

The site depends on CA’s Ingres II relational database, Jasmine eBusiness platform, and Unicenter TNG eBusiness management solution for high performance and full-availability.

Through tight integration with Ingres II, Jasmine dynamically keeps the site current by generating Web pages that automatically reflect system content changes.

Unicenter TNG tracks network and Wen server availability and usage patterns to maximize Web site responsiveness. The Unicenter TNG Web Management Option helps NMPU’s staff immediately pinpoint and resolve Web site problems.

ENDS
 

ABOUT COMPUTER ASSOCIATES
Computer Associates International, Inc. (NYSE: CA), the world's leading business software company, delivers the end-to-end infrastructure to enable eBusiness through innovative technology, services and education. CA has 20,000 employees worldwide and had revenue in excess of $US6 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2000. For more information, visit www.ca.com.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL MISSING PERSONS UNIT
The National Missing Persons Unit at the Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence in Canberra represents a partnership with police, non-government organisations, government and community agencies, the business community and family and friends of missing people. Through this partnership the NMPU coordinates and promotes a national, integrated approach to reduce the incidence and impact of missing persons in Australia. For more information, visit www.missingpersons.info.au and http://au.missingkids.com

ABOUT THE FAMILY COURT OF AUSTRALIA
The Family Court of Australia is a specialist Federal Superior Court of Record which has jurisdiction throughout Australia except for Western Australia. Its objective is to resolve and determine family disputes. For more information, visit www.familycourt.gov.au.