Your vision for the digital future of the Arab region

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REUNITE
Reunite lost and found people with their relatives via facial recognition technology.
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Target groups

Change makers, Public figures and influencers, and Public sector officials

Observation

In the current world, to date there’s been millions of people disappear worldwide, and it’s becoming more and more common.

Arab countries have high rates than others, and the sheer number of missing people is astounding.

Conclusion

People disappear for many reasons, but child abduction is a serious issue in several Arab countries and needs to be addressed.

There is more media focus on the issue now, which makes it look like a growing phenomenon.

Solution

Recent advances in technology, communications through public alerts and greater cooperation from law enforcement may help solve many cases quickly.

There should be a comprehensive plan to counter child abduction that includes using facial recognition technology, installing cameras in the streets, increasing public awareness and so on.

Key Problem

The reasons for going missing are many and varied. Criminal abductions, especially children, are some of the most widely reported missing person cases. Child abduction is not a recent development in Arab countries, but the numbers seem to have been rising.

Some cases were financially motivated, with the abductors asking for ransoms. Other reasons included revenge and all sorts of trafficking, including involving children in sexual abuse, begging and organ transplants.

Which field and which area?

Digital community involvement, awareness of the issue and enhancing community support mechanisms are key parts of the required strategy.

There is enormous potential to increase the role of individuals and organisations within the local community in resolving cases, safeguarding missing people, preventing disappearances and supporting families.

More can be done to create a series of interlinked local networks of families, volunteers and community organisations in this issue.

Effects of the problem

Thousands of people go missing every year and the family has to search for answers, which can be agonizing, emotional and consuming.

Families, friends and the missing persons themselves suffer significant health, work, quality of life, emotional, relationship, economic, and other impacts associated with the missing person incident. For every case of a missing person, an average of at least 12 other people are affected in some way. For some of these people, the impact is ongoing for years and even decades.

What is more worrying, is that unless the issue is properly addressed international traffickers will get involved.

Solution

There’s a potentially powerful new tool to help reunite families with their lost persons.. facial recognition technology.

REUNITE is an ingenious way to put artificial intelligence to work for a good cause, and carry out a task humans simply aren’t capable of.

Additional Slide - 1

REUNITE is an online database that allows families to report, track and locate their missing relatives at the click of a button.

REUNITE allows families to take the search into their own hands with the help of the digital and real community.

Additional Slide - 2

REUNITE portal is a national tracking system for each country's missing people. It holds details of these persons as well as their photographs.

REUNITE receives reports on published cases from community individuals and organizations, and tracks them down to narrow the scope of the search and speed up finding missing persons.

Additional Slide - 3

REUNITE holds the pictures of all persons living in shelters and orphanages. It has the ability to match persons with data and photographs held on its own database.

REUNITE can also synchronize images and video from security cameras installed on streets, public places and shopping centers, as well as those uploaded on social media platforms.