560 tribal women and children missing every month in Chattisgarh

On the issue of human trafficking of women and children particularly from tribal areas, the Supreme Court has summoned the Chhattisgarh Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand and Director General of Police AN Upadhyaya to appear before it in person on October 30. The state has the dubious distinction of nearly 65,000 missing women and children between 2001 and 2013, out of which nearly 40 % remain untracted till date. The children and women from the tribal areas are lured to the cities, mostly metros, to work as domestic help or labourers and many of them end up in prostitution, domestic slavery, forced marriage, beggary, criminal activities and many more.

Data obtained using the Right to Information (RTI) shows that Raipur, Durg, Jashpur and Bastar are among the most vulnerable districts where the number of children missing is the highest. The statistics further shows that the figures continue to show an increasing trend every year. Chhattisgarh has witnessed cases of 330 women and 230 children going missing every month.

It has been reported that there are organized gangs working on human trafficking of women and children and they lure the children join them. As per SC's order, an FIR has to be lodged with each child going missing presuming that he/she was trafficked to ensure that the process of tracing the missing children could begin. It is time for all the stake holders including the police, department for women and child, state commission for protection of child rights, child welfare committees, anti-human trafficking units and CID child cell to work in unison. Children just cannot canish in thin air.