March 24, 2009
In India, no exact figures for missing children are available but experts suggest 1 child may go missing or run away every thirty seconds. Those number are astounding when put into context. Approximately 1,051,200 children vanish every year in the country. That is compared with 797,500 simply reported missing in America according to a recent study commissioned by the United States Department of Justice. That number drops significantly when subtracted by the number of children who return home.
In India most of the children do not return. Lured away from their homes by the promise of jobs in the big city, these children are forced into exploitative situations by kidnappers masquerading as businessmen. Instead of having a better standard of living, receiving regular meals and being able to send money back to the family, many children end up in the sex trade or otherwise severely exploited. Many are forced to carry out work too dangerous for a child and are often left without adequate food or shelter. They receive a pitiful amount of money, if any, for their long days hard work. Unfortunately, it is often the poorest of families that lose their children to this trade.
Needless to say, this is a dire situation. The government act which bans child trafficking is both poorly implemented and planned. The communities afflicted have little knowledge of either the legislation on their behalf or the risks their children face, and child traffickers have to be sensitized to the brutality and harsh realities of the occupation they are in.
There is, however, an organization dedicated to returning children to their families, working with the government for better implementation of the laws and with traffickers on amending their ways. SavetheChildren publishes a pamphlet on keeping children in rural areas safe. Notably they highlight four tips which could end trafficking:
1. Proper investigation of any report of a missing child in order to ensure accountability of the police to investigate thoroughly.
2. Effective database of missing children should be set up.
3. At the state level, an officer should be designated in charge of missing children investigations all police stations should have a designated Child Welfare Officer.
4. At the village level, anti trafficking committees should be set up and strengthened and panchayat registration of children going out of the village should be made mandatory.
