Lok Sabha Question No. 2291 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-14
Subject: Missing Children
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: Sangeeta Azad

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2291

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 14 TH  MARCH, 2023/ PHALGUNA 23, 1944 (SAKA)

MISSING CHILDREN

2291.      SHRIMATI SANGEETA AZAD:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is aware that the number of missing children is increasing year by year in the country;

(b)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  number  of  missing  children, State-wise;

(c) the steps being taken by the Government to tackle the problem;

(d) whether any steps have been taken by the Government to rehabilitate such child victims of human trafficking, if so, the details thereof along with the number of children who become victim of human trafficking so far; and

(e) the steps taken by the Government to stop such cases in future?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI AJAY KUMAR MISHRA)

(a) & (b) : National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) compiles and publishes statistical data on crimes in its publication 'Crime in India'. The published reports are available until year 2021. The State/UT-wise details of number of children (below 18 years) missing and traced in the country during the years 2019-21 is at Annexure-I.  Data published by NCRB does not show this trend.

## L.S.USQ.NO.2291 FOR 14.03.2023

(c):  'Police'  and  'Public  Order'  are  State  subjects  under  the  Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. The responsibility of maintaining law and  order, protection of life and  property  of the citizens including investigation and prosecution of crime against citizens including children rest with the respective State Governments. The State Governments are competent to deal with such offences under the extant provisions of laws.

However, Ministry  of  Women  and  Child  Development  has  issued  an 'Standard  Operating  Procedure  (SOP)  for  cases  of  missing  children'  to assist  Police,  child  Welfare  Committees  and  Juvenile  Justice  Board  in dealing  with  the  cases  of  missing  and  found  or  recovered  children.  The objective of the SOP is to put in place guidelines while dealing with cases of  missing  children  and  to  work  in  coordination  with  the  concerned stakeholders and respond with urgency to issues of missing child.

For  providing  outreach  services  to  missing  children  and  needy children,  the  Ministry  of  Women  and  Child  Development  operates  Child Helpline No. 1098, which is operational 24/7. Apart from this, Railway Child lines  at  major  railway  platforms  are  also  being  operated  to  provide assistance to any needy child. The Ministry of Women  and  Child Development has also developed  the  'Khoya-Paya'  portal in 2015, which is an enabling platform, where citizens can report missing children as well as sightings of their whereabouts without losing much time.

## L.S.USQ.NO.2291 FOR 14.03.2023

Ministry  of  Women  and  Child  Development  has  also  initiated  the 'TrackChild  Portal',  which  enables  tracking  of  the  missing  and  found children.  Under  this,  logins  have  been  provided  to  the  Police  Stations, Juvenile  Justice  Boards  and  Child  Care  Institutions  whereby  they  are required to update the information, on the portal, about missing and found children regularly.

(d)  The  Ministry  of  Women  &  Child  Development  is  implementing  a centrally  sponsored  scheme  namely  Mission  Vatsalya  Scheme  (erstwhile Child Protection Services (CPS) Scheme) under which support is provided to States and UT Governments for delivering services for children in need and in difficult circumstances. The Child Care Institutions (CCIs) established under the scheme support inter-alia age-appropriate education,  access  to  vocational  training,  recreation,  health  care  and counseling.    State-UT  wise  child  victims  (below  18  years)  trafficked  & rescued during 2019-21 are at Annexure-II.

(e) Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been supplementing the efforts of the  State  Governments  and  UTs  by  undertaking  various  initiatives and measures in this regard. MHA has provided financial assistance to the tune of Rs 98.86 crores under 'Nirbhaya Fund' to all States and UTs during the financial  years  2019-20  and  2020-21  for  strengthening the existing Anti

## L.S.USQ.NO.2291 FOR 14.03.2023

Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and for establishing new AHTUs covering all districts of the States and UTs. MHA also provides financial assistance to  States  and  UTs  for  holding  'Judicial  Colloquiums'  and  'State  level conferences' on periodic basis for sensitizing judicial and police officials and to make available to them updated information on latest provisions of law  relating  to  human  trafficking.  MHA  has  also  been  issuing  advisories and guidelines to States on preventing and countering the crime of human trafficking. These advisories are available on MHA's website at: https://www.mha.gov.in.

******

## ANNEXURE-I REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) AND (B) OF THE LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION NO. 2291 FOR ANSWER ON 14.03.2023 ASKED BY SHRIMATI SANGEETA AZAD REGARDING MISSING CHILDREN.

## The State/UT-wise details of number of children (below 18 years) missing and traced in the country during the year 2019-21

|                         |                         |             | 2020        | 2020        | 2021        | 2021        |
|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
| SL                      | State/UT                | 2019 Traced | Missing     | Missing     | Missing     | Traced      |
| 1                       | Andhra Pradesh 2746     | 2737        | 2745        | 2658        | 3720        | 3589        |
| 2                       | Arunachal Pradesh 44    | 41          | 13          | 13          | 44          | 20          |
| 3 Assam                 | 1410                    | 1389        | 877         | 1232        | 1161        | 1116        |
| 4 Bihar                 | 7299                    | 5208        | 4868        | 4773        | 4578        | 5269        |
| 5 Chhattisgarh          | 3143                    | 2872        | 2459        | 2530        | 3278        | 3019        |
| 6 Goa                   | 31                      | 25          | 15          | 22          | 13          | 14          |
| 7 Gujarat               | 1439                    | 1354        | 1204        | 1208        | 1395        | 1490        |
| 8 Haryana               | 2815                    | 2610        | 1904        | 2047        | 2343        | 2137        |
| 9 Himachal              | Pradesh 393             | 429         | 288         | 293         | 444         | 456         |
| 10 Jharkhand            | 356                     | 517         | 340         | 481         | 400         | 371         |
| 11 Karnataka            | 835                     | 832         | 1085        | 1056        | 1575        | 1550        |
| 12                      | Kerala 2183             | 2195        | 1505        | 1517        | 1609        | 1638        |
| 13 Madhva               | Pradesh 11022           | 11256       | 8751        | 9944        | 11607       | 12486       |
| 14 Maharashtra          | 4562                    | 4322        | 3356        | 4804        | 4129        | 4311        |
| 15 Manipur              | 112                     | 109         | 51          | 57          | 63          | 50          |
| 16 Meghalaya            | 104                     | 116         | 44          | 58          | 66          | 71          |
| 17                      | 0                       | 0           | 0           | 0           | 0           | 0           |
| 18                      | Mizoram Nagaland 37     | 44          | 21          | 27          | 26          | 25          |
| 19                      | Odisha 3151             | 1490        | 2899        | 3641        | 4133        | 4596        |
| 20 Punjab               | 894                     | 792         | 655         | 537         | 1045        | 720         |
| 21 Rajasthan            | 3655                    | 3626        | 3179        | 3015        | 4936        | 4940        |
| 22 Sikkim               | 38                      | 38          | 11          | 13          | 8           | 8           |
| 23 Tamil Nadu           | 4519                    | 4263        | 4591        | 4373        | 6399        | 6301        |
| 24 Telangana            | 3308                    | 3911        | 3100        | 2978        | 3956        | 4079        |
| 25 Tripura              | 169                     | 149         | 127         | 121         | 153         | 161         |
| 26 Uttar Pradesh        | 3184                    | 3872        | 2380        | 2831        | 3522        | 2764        |
| 27 Uttarakhand          | 539                     | 440         | 399         | 701         | 626         | 679         |
| 28 West Bengal          | 8952                    | 8526        | 7648        | 7937        | 9996        | 9045        |
| TOTAL                   | STATE(S) 66940          | 63163       | 54515       | 58867       | 71225       | 70905       |
| 29 A&N                  | Islands 43              | 43          | 21          | 24          | 25          | 27          |
| 30 Chandigarh           | 202                     | 172         | 153         | 153         | 180         | 181         |
| 31 D&N Haveli           | and Daman& 20           | 16          | 3           | 10          | 19          | 22          |
| 32 Delhi                | 6355                    | 5880        | 4299        | 5292        | 5772        | 5408        |
| 33 Jammu                | &Kashmir 277            | 260         | 230         | 183         | 279         | 24a         |
| 34 Ladakh               | -                       | -           | 1           | 1           | 0           | 3           |
| 35 Lakshadweep          | 0                       | 0           | 0           | 0           | 0           | 0           |
| 36                      | Puducherry 48           | 40          | 40          | 43          | 35          | 41          |
|                         | TOTAL UT(S)             | 6411        |             | 5706        | 6310        |             |
|                         | 6945                    |             | 4747        |             |             | 5922        |
| TOTAL (ALL INDIA) 73885 | TOTAL (ALL INDIA) 73885 | 69574 59262 | 69574 59262 | 69574 59262 | 64573 77535 | 64573 77535 |

Source: Crime in India

Note: '+'Combined data of erstwhile D&N Haveli UT and Daman & Diu UT for 2019.

*' Data of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir State including Ladakh for 2019.

## ANNEXURE-II REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (d) OF THE LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION NO. 2291 FOR ANSWER ON 14.03.2023 ASKED BY SHRIMATI SANGEETA AZAD REGARDING MISSING CHILDREN.

The State/UT-wise details of number of children (below 18 years) trafficked and rescued in the country during the year 2019-21

| SL         | State/UT                    | Child Trafficked Victims   |   Child Trafficked Victims |   Child Trafficked Victims | Child Rescued Victims   |   Child Rescued Victims |   Child Rescued Victims |
|------------|-----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
| SL         | State/UT                    | 2019                       |                       2020 |                       2021 | 2019                    |                    2020 |                    2021 |
| 1          | Andhra Pradesh              | 18                         |                         23 |                         58 | 15                      |                       8 |                      11 |
| 2          | Arunachal Pradesh           | 4                          |                         13 |                          3 | 3                       |                      13 |                       3 |
| 3          | Assam                       | 80                         |                         84 |                        215 | 73                      |                      67 |                     188 |
| 4          | Bihar                       | 294                        |                        123 |                        311 | 294                     |                     123 |                     311 |
| 5          | Chhattisgarh                | 113                        |                         35 |                         43 | 112                     |                      39 |                      43 |
| 6          | Goa                         | 2                          |                          1 |                          0 | 2                       |                       1 |                       0 |
| 7          | Gujarat                     | 2                          |                         65 |                          5 | 2                       |                      65 |                       5 |
| 8          | Haryana                     | 6`                         |                          7 |                         21 | 6                       |                       7 |                      21 |
| 9          | Himachal Pradesh            | 1                          |                          2 |                          4 | 1                       |                       2 |                       4 |
| 10         | Jharkhand                   | 172                        |                        114 |                        146 | 102                     |                      77 |                     145 |
| 11         | Karnataka                   | 42                         |                          2 |                          5 | 42                      |                       1 |                       5 |
| 12         | Kerala                      | 177                        |                        184 |                        219 | 179                     |                     179 |                     169 |
| 13         | Madhya Pradesh              | 123                        |                         79 |                         87 | 124                     |                      75 |                      87 |
| 14         | Maharashtra                 | 95                         |                         49 |                         52 | 95                      |                      65 |                      62 |
| 15         | Manipur                     | 5                          |                          4 |                          4 | 4                       |                       4 |                       4 |
| 16         | Meghalaya                   | 30                         |                          1 |                          1 | 29                      |                       1 |                       1 |
| 17         | Mizoram                     | 25                         |                          0 |                          0 | 25                      |                       0 |                       0 |
| 18         | Nagaland                    | 2                          |                          0 |                          0 | 2                       |                       0 |                       0 |
| 19         | Odisha                      | 202                        |                        159 |                        497 | 202                     |                     159 |                     399 |
| 20         | Punjab                      | 9                          |                         65 |                         11 | 18                      |                      61 |                       8 |
| 21         | Rajasthan                   | 653                        |                        815 |                        417 | 653                     |                     815 |                     417 |
| 22         | Sikkim                      | 0                          |                          2 |                          0 | 0                       |                       2 |                       0 |
| 23         | Tamil Nadu                  | 43                         |                         24 |                         16 | 42                      |                      23 |                      38 |
| 24         | Telangana                   | 71                         |                         32 |                        222 | 71                      |                      31 |                     222 |
| 25         | Tripura                     | 1                          |                          2 |                          0 | 2                       |                       2 |                       0 |
| 26         | Uttar Pradesh               | 32                         |                         61 |                         40 | 32                      |                      58 |                      40 |
| 27         | Uttarakhand                 | 16                         |                          9 |                          9 | 16                      |                       8 |                       9 |
| 28         | West Bengal                 | 108                        |                         53 |                         50 | 63                      |                      56 |                      58 |
| TOTAL      | STATE(S)                    | 2326                       |                       2008 |                       2436 | 2209                    |                    1942 |                    2250 |
| 29         | A &NIslands                 | 0                          |                          0 |                          0 | 0                       |                       0 |                       0 |
| 30         | Chandigarh                  | 1                          |                          3 |                          2 | 1                       |                       3 |                       2 |
| 31         | D&N Haveli and Daman &Diu + | 0                          |                          2 |                          0 | 0                       |                       2 |                       0 |
| 32         | Delhi UT                    | 536                        |                        202 |                        437 | 536                     |                     202 |                     437 |
| 33         | Jammu& Kashmir *            | 0                          |                          2 |                          2 | 0                       |                       2 |                       2 |
| 34         | Ladakh                      | -                          |                          0 |                          0 | -                       |                       0 |                       0 |
| 35         | Lakshadweep                 | 0                          |                          0 |                          0 | 0                       |                       0 |                       0 |
| 36         | Puducherry                  | 0                          |                          5 |                          0 | 0                       |                       0 |                       0 |
|            | TOTAL UT(S)                 | 537                        |                        214 |                        441 | 537                     |                     209 |                     441 |
| TOTAL {ALL | INDIA)                      | 2863                       |                       2222 |                       2877 | 2746                    |                    2151 |                    2691 |

Note: Human Trafficking data published is based on annual data as provided by States/UTs from their Anti Human Trafficking Units

+' Combined data of erstwhile D&N Haveli UT and Daman & Diu UT for the year 2019 *' Data of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir State including Ladakh for the year 2019.