SRPSKA TO LAUNCH "FIND ME" SYSTEM BY YEAR-END

By the end of the year, Republika Srpska is set to establish the "Find Me" system, aimed at swiftly alerting the public about the disappearance of a minor.

"I am grateful to the Government of Republika Srpska and especially to the Minister of Interior, Siniša Karan, for their efforts to make this system operational. A working group, with the support of members of the Ministry of Interior, has achieved significant progress. Republika Srpska will be the second country in the region, after Serbia, to implement this system," said Igor Jurić, President of the Center for Missing and Abused Children from Novi Sad, in a statement to RTRS.

Jurić elaborated on the system’s functionality, emphasizing that it will not be activated for every reported case of a missing child.

"When the criteria for activating the system are met, citizens will receive an SMS notification about the missing child. Media outlets will be required to broadcast updates about the disappearance every 30 minutes during the first six hours, and hourly for up to 48 hours. Notifications will also appear on highways, and passengers at bus and train stations will be informed about the disappearance. Essentially, the citizens of Republika Srpska will receive prompt information about the missing child," explained Jurić.

He highlighted the importance of having such a system implemented across the entire region.

"I believe the rest of Bosnia and Herzegovina will soon adopt the 'Find Me' system. This was a bold decision by the leadership of Republika Srpska, and I am proud of this achievement. Serbia and Republika Srpska have almost identical criteria for activating the system—when a child is in life-threatening danger, is under seven years old, or is a victim of abduction. In Serbia, the system was activated twice this year. I hope you will never have to use it in Srpska, but if necessary, this is a vital step in preventing major tragedies. I hope the citizens of Republika Srpska, especially the children, will see the benefits of this system," Jurić added.