Conceptualization of Missing Children
3.2 Pull Factors The globalization process has made the business people in high demand to contact the trafficking agents to supply cheap labour for employers and enterprises. Competition in the production units also paved the way for trafficking children to work in these units with low wages. Migration of men to the industrial sector or business field enhanced their economic status, which motivated them to indulge in prostitution by buying girl children. The business people’s high earning in the flesh trade, has influenced politicians and youth to utilize this situation. Emergence of trafficking business made the agents to sell the human assets for procuring wealth to them. 3.3 Reasons for Disappearance of Children There are different reasons for people disappearing and there is no one way to explain the reasons behind this phenomenon. Internal armed conflicts are active in many states in India. India has also been hit by various natural disasters like Tsunami, floods or other calamities. Often people disappear to escape these disasters. People also disappear to avoid arrest in a crime by lawenforcement authorities and the police have a special department to trace the people who avoid these kinds of legal arrest. Some people disappear to join a cult or other religious organization and become lifelong members of these organisations. Some people sometimes get lost and sometimes die due to disease or accident when they are far from home. The common reason for children’s disappearance is to escape from child abuse—physical, sexual, emotional— in school, home, and community and institution. Sometimes children run away from home on the pretext of acting in movies. People also disappear when they become victims of kidnapping for ransom or enmity; sometime children are sold into sex-trade, slavery or the labour market. 3.4 Data on Missing Children in India As per government data10 available till 31st July 2013, in the year 2013 alone there were 5289 missing boys and 9841 girls, which amount to total of 15130 children missing. However, 6289 children were traced or came back to their homes. But, 3204 boys are still untraced and 5657 girls are still missing, which adds up to 8,861. As per year 2012 data, 10,274 boys are still untraced and 16622 girls are still untraced which adds up to 26,896. So, as per the statistics available till 31st July 2013, in the last one-and-a-half-years, there has been 35,757 children (both boys and girls) are still missing. As per NCRB data in 2010, 2011 and 2012, 38,440, 44,664 and 47,592 CASES were REGISTERED respectively, out of which in only 19,933, 22,818 and 25,639 cases charge sheets were filed during the same period. However during the same period in 3,870, 4,001 and 3,089 cases people were convicted and 8,708, 8,265 and 5,858 persons were convicted under various kidnapping and abduction of Indian penal laws. (Refer Annexure III)
www.ncrb.nic.in
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