Lok Sabha Question No. 2654 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-06
Subject: Missing Children
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shivkumar Chanabasappa Udasi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2654

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.03.2020

## MISSING CHILDREN

## 2654.  SHRI SHIVAKUMAR C. UDASI:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the cases of missing children in the country has increased, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has identified the reasons behind such increase and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Supreme Court has directed State Governments to trace missing children and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the case of missing children and human trafficking are inter-connected and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the corrective steps taken by the Government to prevent such cases in future?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a)  &  (b):  As  per  information  provided  by  National  Crime  Records  Bureau  (NCRB), total  number  of  missing  children  in  the  country,  State/UT-wise  during  2016-2018 (below  18  years)  is Annexed. Some  of  the  reasons  behind  the  cases  of  missing children could be kidnapping, abduction, trafficking, illegal adoption, run away children and due to natural calamities as reported by NCRB.

- (c): As informed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), pursuant to the directions of Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in the matter of WP (C) 75/2012, MHA has issued detailed advisory on 25.06.2013 to the States and UTs in which it was inter-alia stated that in case of complaint with regard to any missing children made in a police station, the  same  should  be  reduced  into  a  First  Information  Report  and  appropriate  steps should be taken to see that follow up investigation is taken up immediately thereafter, etc.

The Hon'ble Court had also directed that the State Commission for Protection of  Child  Rights  (SCPCR)  may  be  asked  to  monitor  the  implementation  of  Standard Operating  Procedure  by  the  State  Governments  for  rescuing  and  restoring  missing children.

(d):  As  informed  by  MHA,  causes  for  missing  children  would  vary  on  case  to  case basis including trafficking.

(e): As informed by MHA, 'Police' is a State subject under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. The responsibilities to maintain law and order, protection of life  and  property  of  the  citizens  including  children  rests  with  the  respective  State Governments.    The  State  Governments  are  competent  to  deal  with  such  offences under  the  extant  provisions  of  laws.  However,  the  Government  of  India  accords highest  priority  to  the  safety  of  children  in  the  country.  In  addition  to  the  Advisory mentioned in reply to part (c) of the question, MHA has issued other advisories from time to time including advisories on 25.09.2013 and 30.10.2018 on 'measures to be taken in cases of missing adolescent girls' requesting States/UTs to give greater focus on  the  cases  relating  to  missing  adolescent  girls  and  make  timely  interventions  to protect  these  girls  from  falling  prey  to  any  social  abuse  and  organised  crimes;  and measures to be taken in cases of kidnapping of minors respectively.

***

## State/UT-wise Report on Missing and Traced Children (Below 18 years) during 2016-2018.

| SL   | State/UT          | 2016    | 2016   | 2017    | 2017   | 2018    | 2018   |
|------|-------------------|---------|--------|---------|--------|---------|--------|
| SL   | State/UT          | Missing | Traced | Missing | Traced | Missing | Traced |
| 1    | Andhra Pradesh    | 3324    | 1912   | 3616    | 2902   | 3150    | 2610   |
| 2    | Arunachal Pradesh | 61      | 33     | 74      | 48     | 34      | 32     |
| 3    | Assam             | 2413    | 1069   | 1651    | 1170   | 2120    | 1461   |
| 4    | Bihar             | 5896    | 3026   | 8493    | 3271   | 12072   | 6967   |
| 5    | Chhattisgarh      | 3127    | 2051   | 3341    | 2267   | 4237    | 2920   |
| 6    | Goa               | 57      | 25     | 45      | 14     | 47      | 16     |
| 7    | Gujarat           | 2007    | 1247   | 2172    | 1653   | 2417    | 1873   |
| 8    | Haryana           | 3575    | 1695   | 3814    | 2217   | 3739    | 2576   |
| 9    | Himachal Pradesh  | 280     | 174    | 368     | 271    | 481     | 340    |
| 10   | Jammu & Kashmir   | 1070    | 354    | 725     | 219    | 800     | 416    |
| 11   | Jharkhand         | 1008    | 329    | 1099    | 465    | 993     | 377    |
| 12   | Karnataka         | 4224    | 2733   | 3195    | 1954   | 2864    | 2314   |
| 13   | Kerala            | 1735    | 1520   | 1755    | 1595   | 2153    | 2002   |
| 14   | Madhya Pradesh    | 12068   | 8197   | 14116   | 8834   | 15320   | 9284   |
| 15   | Maharashtra       | 9982    | 4357   | 8581    | 3364   | 6928    | 3214   |
| 16   | Manipur           | 186     | 172    | 97      | 75     | 107     | 82     |
| 17   | Meghalaya         | 184     | 155    | 148     | 103    | 163     | 119    |
| 18   | Mizoram           | 0       | 0      | 1       | 1      | 3       | 3      |
| 19   | Nagaland          | 77      | 63     | 103     | 101    | 97      | 81     |
| 20   | Odisha            | 5791    | 589    | 7446    | 6281   | 3491    | 1139   |
| 21   | Punjab            | 1290    | 510    | 2724    | 872    | 2587    | 638    |
| 22   | Rajasthan         | 4203    | 3216   | 3403    | 2453   | 3521    | 2479   |
| 23   | Sikkim            | 150     | 110    | 88      | 85     | 57      | 52     |
| 24   | Tamil Nadu        | 5801    | 4660   | 5844    | 4782   | 5333    | 4038   |
| 25   | Telangana         | 4700    | 3597   | 4304    | 2984   | 4410    | 3152   |
| 26   | Tripura           | 197     | 171    | 166     | 150    | 198     | 188    |
| 27   | Uttar Pradesh     | 5169    | 1861   | 5161    | 2763   | 5704    | 2799   |
| 28   | Uttarakhand       | 859     | 589    | 877     | 572    | 938     | 374    |
| 29   | West Bengal       | 16881   | 5388   | 19671   | 11849  | 16027   | 10205  |
|      | TOTAL STATE(S)    | 96315   | 49803  | 103078  | 63315  | 99991   | 61751  |
| 30   | A&N Islands       | 53      | 48     | 43      | 35     | 56      | 44     |
| 31   | Chandigarh        | 435     | 152    | 513     | 207    | 540     | 214    |
| 32   | D&N Haveli        | 8       | 2      | 8       | 4      | 4       | 0      |
| 33   | Daman & Diu       | 39      | 27     | 34      | 29     | 30      | 17     |
| 34   | Delhi             | 14661   | 5863   | 15252   | 6807   | 14986   | 9102   |
| 35   | Lakshadweep       | 0       | 0      | 0       | 0      | 0       | 0      |
| 36   | Puducherry        | 58      | 49     | 43      | 43     | 49      | 48     |
|      | TOTAL UT(S)       | 15254   | 6141   | 15893   | 7125   | 15665   | 9425   |
|      | TOTAL (ALL INDIA) | 111569  | 55944  | 118971  | 70440  | 115656  | 71176  |

Source: Crime in India

Note: Clarifications are pending from West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya & Sikkim for the year 2018