NEW DELHI:What can be the worst fear for any parents when they leave their children in the school or as they watch them play in a nearby park? Many might not even like to admit it, but the very thought of never seeing them again and then living in a fragile hope that someday the little ones will miraculously appear might have passed across the mind of many. Twenty homes in Delhi face this trauma every day as 20 children go missing in every 24 hours.
Armed with an active and anti-kidnapping unit, the Delhi Police makes dedicated yet ineffective probe to find these missing children. At the rate these crimes are being committed, the police say it is a big concern for them as they are still unable to crack the network of gangsters operating behind this. The police, however, have a success rate of tracing 50 per cent of the missing children.
The year has not even completed its first quarter and already 1,120 children were missing from the capital. As per Delhi Police figures, at 621, the number of girls missing from the city is way more than boys. Last year, 7,572 children went missing from Delhi and again most of them were young girls—4,166. The police found that 5,809 children went missing in 2013 and 3,686 in 2012. The police have found that 50 per cent girl victims fall prey to sexual predators.
While doing detailed analysis, the police found that 2.3 per cent of the missing children less than eight years of age disappeared every day last year and 1.6 per cent in last two months. Last year, 2.5 per cent of missing children aged between eight and 12 went missing every day and 2.1 per cent this year till February. Every day 16 per cent of missing children aged between 12 and 18 years disappeared last year while the rate is 15.15 per cent this year.
From peer pressure to family dispute, school phobia to elopement, the reasons varied but these children never made it to home. According to a detailed study conducted by police, of the total missing children last year, 11 per cent eloped from home, 10 per cent fled due to family pressures and disputes, 9 per cent lost they way and went missing, 15 per cent ran away due to peer pressure, 11 per cent because of school phobia, 8 per cent of children ran away for being scolded and rest 36 per cent cases because of other reasons, which include kidnapping and sex-related crimes.
The biggest concern for the police is, however, of children below eight years of age who go missing. Last year, the police could not recover 749 children below eight years of age and they remain still untraceable.
In last four years, the police have launched several initiatives. Taking note of kids going missing particularly from unauthorised colonies and slum clusters, Delhi Police has been carrying out ‘Pehchaan’, a programme aimed exclusively at children from Below Poverty Line families.
“The kids are photographed and a copy of it is handed to their parents. This is because in most cases when such children go missing, families are not able to provide us with their pictures, making it difficult to trace them,” Deepak Mishra, Special Commissioner of Police, told The Sunday Standard.
