The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a key partner in the battle against child exploitation. As of late last year, the federal government had directed NCMEC to remove any and all references to LGBTQ+ individuals in its public-facing material. This directive comes at a moment when former President Donald Trump made his mark through various executive orders. These orders were intended to go after diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The NCMEC serves as a national clearinghouse for more general reports of child abuse. It receives more than half of its funding from the federal government, and the Department of Justice is the largest funder. Even with these changes, NCMEC still claims that their vital services have not changed, and they’re still helping families and children in crisis.
The deletion of all LGBTQ+ references from NCMEC’s public-facing materials has raised the ire of child advocacy networks and law enforcement experts. Consumer advocates caution that this ruling can prevent at-risk young people from reporting offenses committed against them. This is particularly troubling for LGBTQ+ identifying individuals. Jose Alfaro, an anti-trafficking consultant and survivor of child sex trafficking, highlighted the potential repercussions, emphasizing the increased difficulty in reporting crimes for these children. Through every obstacle, NCMEC is committed to upholding its mission to protect children from exploitation. This bill delivers justice for all victims, promoting justice for people of all sexual orientations, races, and immigration statuses.
NCMEC's Role and Federal Influence
NCMEC plays a vital role in preventing child abuse by serving as the national clearinghouse for child abuse-related reports. The organization then triages and forwards these reports to relevant law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and around the world, helping investigators craft cases and provide context. Government funding is critical to its operation. Though moral support may be more in order right now, the Department of Justice has become one of its principal funders.
The new federal mandate omits any mention of LGBTQ+ communities. This decision once again follows in the footsteps of past executive orders aimed at restricting diversity and inclusion initiatives. A spokesperson for NCMEC stated:
"Like many federally funded non-profits, NCMEC was directed by the DOJ to comply with executive order 14168 regarding gender ideology and to review our publicly facing materials to ensure compliance."
Despite these directives, the spokesperson confirmed that no changes have been made regarding the organization's services relating to sexual orientation, race, or immigration.
Implications of Content Removal
NCMEC’s website previously featured a tab titled “Faces of Human Trafficking.” In this section, these impactful narrative experiences of survivors centered on folks who are people of color and folks who are LGBTQ+. Yet, unbelievably, this material has been deleted by the Office for Victims of Crime within the DoJ. The webpage currently returns a message saying the featured-as-example content has been temporarily removed. The removal, however, was caught in time by the Wayback Machine, a digital archive that saves historical snapshots of websites.
The decision to remove these references has drawn criticism from various experts who emphasize the importance of recognizing and supporting disproportionately vulnerable groups. An expert expressed concern over funding allocations:
"Organizations that don’t understand those kids or adults and why they’re disproportionately vulnerable, that maybe do conversion therapy – could be a faith-based organization that believes that being queer is wrong and will send you to hell–will still get funds."
This sentiment underscores fears that conservative Christian organizations may receive preferential treatment in federal grant allocations at the expense of more inclusive programs.
Continued Commitment Amidst Challenges
Even through these federalizations, NCMEC has stayed true to its original mission. A spokesperson reiterated the organization's dedication:
"No changes to NCMEC services have been made regarding sexual orientation, race, or immigration. NCMEC will continue to provide lifesaving support for all families and children who need our services. We remain committed to helping find missing children, combating child sexual exploitation and preventing child victimization."
The larger implications of these changes become more impactful when you consider the promise and pitfalls of data-driven policing and helping victims of crime. One prosecutor emphasized the significance of crime data in modern policing:
"Crime data is super important and drives modern policing and law enforcement and making effective and appropriate decisions."
By removing specific references to LGBTQ+ communities, experts argue that it may hinder the ability to craft targeted programs for vulnerable populations.