BHUBANESWAR: Operation Muskan, the mission which traces missing children, is a huge success in the State but the authorities are struggling to locate the families so that the children could be reunited with them.
The Odisha State Child Protection Society (OSCPS) has decided to issue advertisements so that the district administrations can take note and make attempts to locate the family members.
During Operation Muskan, as many as 87 children were rescued. Of them, 56 children could be reintegrated with their family members while the State authorities have been finding it difficult to trace the families of 28 others. As a result, rehabilitation of these children could not be possible as yet.
In a recent meeting, it was decided that Crime Branch will make an attempt to locate the family members of the 28 children using the Integrated Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (IAHTU) which are located in 12 points while the State Government has proposed to set up 25 more across the districts.
“Since these units have strong field network and can use police support, we are hopeful of locating the families of these 28 missing children who are currently lodged at different short-stay homes. We have decided to put out advertisements for the purpose too,” said a senior officer of the Women and Child Development Department.
As part of the strategy, advertisements about 18 children whose native districts have been identified will be issued by the District Child Protection Officers. The Department hopes the publicity could catch the attention of the parents or even the gram panchayats so that the kids can be reintegrated.
However, another the native district of 10 children is yet to be identified. The OSCPS has decided to carry out advertisements about them. These 10 kids are currently housed at child shelter homes in Khurda.
Interestingly, another three children managed to escape the shelter homes during the transit period and FIRs have been registered in this connection. About 1,300 children go missing from the State on an annual basis but more than 1,100 are rescued by the police during the investigation process.