Rights body launches operation to trace missing children

Under operation ‘Khoj’, Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights will tap information on missing children

In 2013, 7,235 children were reported missing from the capital. (ARCHIVE)

With more and more children going missing from the city every year, the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) has launched an operation to trace them. In 2013, 7,235 children were reported missing from the capital.

“Under operation ‘Khoj’, the DCPCR will tap information regarding missing children from all sources and circulate the same along with photographs to all networked homes for immediate action,” Arun Mathur, chairperson of DCPCR, said.

A network of approximately 45 children’s homes in Delhi has been created. In case the child is found in one of the homes, the DCPCR will take appropriate steps to identify and rehabilitate the child with his or her family.

Mathur said the DCPCR intends to enlarge the network to include more homes and organise regular meetings for the sensitisation of the home in-charge, home manager, house father and house mother. The commission expects that through proper follow up, many more cases related to missing children will be solved.
In 2008, 6,268 children were reported missing from Delhi. In the year 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 the number of missing children reported was 5,946, 5,091, 5,111, 5,248 and 7,235, respectively.

DCPCR has been monitoring the issue both at an individual case level as well as at the policy level, Mathur said.

“For individual cases, the commission issues notice to the concerned police station for an action taken report. It was seen that generally at the police station level, compliance of the notice given by the commission is within the stipulated time. But these replies reach the commission late as they are sent through proper channel by the office of the ACP,” Mathur said.

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