What is the Emilia alert for the search for missing children in Ecuador and how does it work?

At the time of reporting the disappearance of a minor in Ecuador, the alert Emily, which consists of the dissemination of information about the missing child in the areas of interest. This protocol was launched in 2018, as a joint project of the Ministry of the Interior, the State Attorney General’s Office, the National Police and Facebook.

Every time a child is reported missing, the Emilia Alerts system on Facebook will send alerts to people who are in areas considered of special interest for the searchexplained Emily Vacher, Director of Security at Facebook, when the alert system was launched.

Information about the missing child It will also be sent by various means of communication such as television, email, social networksin a range of 160 kilometers where the minor was last seen, indicated the Ministry of the Interior.

This is how the Emilia Alert works

Its effectiveness is given because The first hours after the disappearance of a child or adolescent are crucial to find him alive. When notifying citizens about the minor, more people will be alert for any sign of its appearance.

That is the name given to the alert protocol for the case of Emilia Benavides, a 9-year-old girl who disappeared in Loja in 2017, whose body was found in a ravine. It was a case of trafficking, rape and murder, according to the State Attorney General’s Office.

The alert system also originates from Amber Alert, the US version.

The Ecuador Disappeared web portal indicates what to do in case of receiving an Emilia Alert: “Be attentive around you to share and notify if you have information that helps to locate the missing minor, contact: 1800- DELITO (335486) or 911”.

Deiker Torres

This February 7, the Police activated the so-called ‘Emilia Alert’, to expedite the search for the child Deiker Torres Rodríguez, last seen in the Bellavista neighborhood, in Guayaquil.

(YO)