How safe are the children in the capital?
17 Jul, 2014Based on replies received from the Delhi police, the Alliance for People’s Rights has prepared a report on missing children which presents startling statistics:
· During the calendar year 2013, a total of 6,494 children disappeared in Delhi.
· More girls (3059) than boys (2,709) went missing. In terms of percentage, nearly 53 % of missing children were girls.
· On an average, 18 children go missing in the Capital every day and there is a significant increase in number over the last year (14 missing children every day).
· 1443 children were never found in spite of all efforts i.e. Out of the daily average of 18 missing children, 4 are never traced.
· More than 50 per cent of the rescued victims are from the socially deprived sections of society.
· In West district of Delhi has shown an increase of 54.82 per cent jump in cases while the North-West district showed an increase of 47.24 per cent over the preceding year.
· Out of the total crimes reported in the capital city, nearly 12.36 % are crimes against children.
The actual number of missing children may be higher as not all cases get registered. The absence of a single and transparent database is hampering the surveillance efforts to keep the children safe.