It reveals the fact that child trafficking is the third largest profitable industry of the world and India seems to be in the thick of it. India is not only the source, but a destination and transit point for this heinous crime. Terrorists and criminals both use kidnapping as a tactic to achieve their goal. In total, kidnapping has become more of an industry now. Reasons behind children going missing need to be identified through specialised studies, unique to different states. Statistics show that over 60,000 children go missing every year in the country. No doubt, while many are kidnapped, some run away from home following abuse. But in most cases, children are kidnapped for primarily pushing them into begging activities, which is much worse than one can imagine. A study by Bachpan Bachao Andolan put the number of missing children as much as 10 times more than what is stated in their findings and research. Strong, well-coordinated platforms are needed to deal with the problem of kidnapping and missing children.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
