Emily Vacher: Committed to the cause of missing children

SHE may not be Jamaican, but she is dedicated to assisting Jamaica with tools to help bring to 100 per cent the island’s recovery rate for missing children.Born and raised in New York, Emily Vacher told All Woman that a simple conversation with a retired FBI agent led her down a path that would transform her life forever.“I asked him why he did that as a career, and the passion with which he answered and what he said, the way he talked, I knew I wanted to do that,” she said.Subsequently, after leaving college and being a practising attorney in private practice, Vacher eventually bought into the idea of being a ‘Fed” and spent 11 years as an FBI special agent, focusing on child abduction and exploitation cases.Vacher, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in human development from Cornell University, a Master of Science degree in rehabilitation counselling from the Syracuse University School of Education, a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and a Juris Doctor degree from the Syracuse University College of Law, spent her time with the FBI on matters specialising in crimes against children, served on the Innocent Images National Response Team, the Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team, and served as a supervisor in the Undercover and Sensitive Operations Unit.She was also an FBI legal advisor, a National Centre for the Analysis of Violent Crime coordinator, and a member of the FBI’s Operational Medicine Program.But in 2011 when an opportunity came to work with popular social media network Facebook, Vacher took the leap of faith and joined the organisation.Now in her sixth year, she exudes her passion about combating child abduction and child exploitation through her portfolio as director of trust and safety.“It was bittersweet leaving the FBI, but I saw an amazing opportunity to protect our children and to advocate in a much bigger way and to have a larger reach, as the work made a difference all over the world and not just in the United States. It was also a place where people of different backgrounds could come together and build things, while finding creative ways in which the world could be better connected,” she said.In January 2015, she spearheaded Facebook’s partnership with the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children to send AMBER Alerts to Facebook users in the geographic area where a child has gone missing.She recently launched a partnership between Facebook and the Office of the Children’s Registry in Jamaica to have our Ananda Alerts appearing in the Facebook newsfeed of citizens whenever a child is reported missing.“We want this programme to bring justice. Our mission is to make international communities more connected. I believe there would be a really great impact if we’re able to do this,” she said.Vacher has also done a lot of training and law enforcement work in Jamaica, focusing on best practices when dealing with child abduction and missing youngsters.She added that though the work at times may bring her to tears, she keeps persevering, as there is nothing more rewarding than when a child is brought home or a parent expresses gratitude.A board member with the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, Vacher is also passionate about animal welfare, fundraising for a worthy cause, and working with people from different cultures.An avid traveller, Vacher has visited several places in the Caribbean, South America and Australia. She is also a champion for women taking a seat at the table and being a part of the conversation to create initiatives to make the world a better place.For her, being kind, listening to others and taking appropriate action are essential to truly understanding the world around you and making a difference.