-The Times of India
BENGALURU: The number of untraced children in India has seen a whopping hike of 84 per cent in the last three years according to records of Ministry of Home Affairs. While the total number of untraced children in 2013 was 34,244, in 2015, the figure has jumped up to 62,988.
Speaking about the reasons behind so many children remaining untraced, Komal Ganotra, director of policy and advocacy for Child Rights and You (CRY), said: "While we know missing children are often led to be a part of organized crimes, illegal child labour and trafficking, there needs to be a differential structure of investigation to track these children. A robust investigation mechanism with inter-state and inter-departmental coordination remains imperative."
She pointed out that a comprehensive data base of children is yet to see the light of the day.
"The multiple delays at the level of reporting as well as investigating are a primary factor that weakens the chances of finding the lost child. In many cases parents resort to fact finding all of their own and turn to police as the last resort. Apprehension over police reaction and fear of stigma often delay the filing of the report thus weakening chances of tracking. Also, in many cases still, there is delay by the police in filing the FIR, leading to investigation being held," she added.
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