The UGR program cooperated with the Royal Thai Police to clear up the case.
The girl is back to their parents, after living in a shelter for a while.
On April 28, 2009 a girl was abandoned in a hospital in Bangkok by a friend of her mother. According to the medical report, she was born on April 12, 2009. After checking and at request of authorities, she was sent from the hospital to Pakkred Babies’ Home, a public residential establishment where abandoned children are cared for from birth to five years of age, where she grew up with other babies.
On February 8, 2010, her parents came to the shelter to find her daughter. The officers of Pakkred Babies’ Home sent the girl and the parents to the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Police Hospital, Royal Thai Police, in Bangkok Thailand (www.ifm.go.th). Royal Thai Police participates in the DNA – Prokids program, (www.dna-prokids.org) initiative of the University of Granada, Spain and the University of North Texas, USA.
The Royal Thai Police used the DNA profiling protocol created by DNA Prokids to assist in the identification of parenthood. Using DNA, they reunited the girl to their parents at the end of February, under all legal and protection warranties. .
DNA-Prokids gets therefore its first positive result in Thailand, after its recent introduction in this country. The case adds to 230 children already reunited in Guatemala. Mexico, Honduras, Philippines, Sri Lanka, etc. Only genetic analysis’ warranties have allowed judges and security forces to solve those cases in aid of children rights and security.
What is DNA-Prokids (www.dna-prokids.org)
DNA-PROKIDS is an international humanitarian project using DNA testing to deter human trafficking of children and help reunite abducted and homeless children with their parents. The program started in 2004 in the Legal Medicine Department of the University of Granada. In 2009 the Health Sciences Center of the University of North Texas (Center of Human Identification, USA) joined the project.
DNA – Prokids is possible thanks to the support of national governments subscribed to the project, the collaboration of the Spanish Government and the Andalusian Regional Government and is supported by Life Technologies Foundation, BBVA, Fundación Botín (Banco Santander) and CajaGRANADA.
Contact: www.dna-prokids.org – prokids@ugr.es
