Kerala: Where are all the missing children gone

KOZHIKODE: There is an alarming rise in the  number of missing   children, especially girls,  in the state.  This is despite  the efforts taken by the state government to reduce such cases  through  programmes like ‘Operation Valsalya’ and ‘Operation Smile.’

According to the records  with the state Home Ministry, a total of 6,026 children went missing   from 2011 to 2015. Out of this, 3,311 are girls and 2,715  boys. While the total number of missing children was 951 in 2011, it has risen to 1,599 in 2015.

Thiruvananthapuram district topped the list    in 2015 with 242, followed by Malappuram -201 and Kozhikode - 151. The number of missing girl children was 124  in Thiruvananthapuram in 2015, 89 in Malappuram and 74 in Kollam.

‘Operation Valsalya’ was introduced to find out  whether children living in orphanages or with migrants were  those from different parts of the country. The photos of  children were  uploaded on the website of the Missing Child Bureau. But this project hit a roadblock when the private orphanages refused to take photographs of the inmates.

The project was  planned in collaboration with the Legal Services Authority, Kerala State Road Transport Corporation,  Railways,  police and the Regional Transport Office, among others.

‘Operation Smile’ also suffered a setback, says Mr Nazeer Chaliyam, member, Kerala State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (KeSCPCR).

Last month, he had submitted a suggestion to  the state government to have more coordination between departments like police, railway and social justice.

“The study as well as our findings prove that the state has failed in curbing the cases of missing   children. Instances of trafficking are also feared when children disappear in groups. Though the DGP has issued a new order to treat the cases  as ‘grave offences,’  the situation has not improved,” he told Deccan Chronicle.