Question : Missing Children

(a) whether the number of cases of missing children is increasing in the country particularly in the National Capital Region;

(b) if so, the total number of such cases registered children traced/untraced and the steps taken to trace all the children during each of the last three years and the current year, gender and State-wise including Chhattisgarh;

(c) whether the Supreme Court has issued any direction in this regard; and

(d) if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
(SHRI HANSRAJ GANGARAM AHIR)

(a) & (b): As per the information provided by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), State/UT-wise total number of children missing, traced and untraced gender-wise data is enclosed as Annexure-I. Number of Cases of missing children in National Capital Region (NCR) is enclosed as Annexure-II.
State/UT-wise cases registered, persons arrested, cases charge sheeted, persons charge sheeted, cases convicted and persons convicted under kidnapping & abduction of children is enclosed as Annexure-III. State/UT-wise total number of children kidnapped or abducted, children recovered from kidnapping and abduction and children unrecovered from kidnapping and abduction is enclosed as Annexure-IV.
‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. The responsibilities to maintain law and order,
protection of life and property of the citizens rest primarily with the respective
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LS.US.Q.No.3547 FOR 08.08.2017
State Governments. The State Governments are competent to deal with such offences under the extant provisions of laws. Ministry of Home Affairs has issued Advisories for combating crimes against children. These Advisories are also available on www.mha.nic.in.
To rescue the missing children, Ministry of Home Affairs advised all States/UTs to rescue the missing children by way of conducting one month sustained campaigns throughout the country. Sustained campaigns entitled “Operation Smile” (1st January, 2015 to 31st January, 2015), “Operation Muskaan” (1st July, 2015 to 31st July, 2015), “Operation Smile-II” (1st January to 31st January, 2016), “Operation Muskaan-II” (1st July, 2016 to 31st July, 2016) and “Operation Muskaan-III” (1st July, 2017 to 31st July, 2017) have been conducted in the country.
(c) & (d): The Supreme Court of India, vide its order dated 13.01.2015 in the W.P. (C) 75/2012 Bachpan Bachao Andolan Vs UoI had directed Ministry of Women & Child Development (MWCD) to compile a model Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for tracing of missing children. The SOP has been circulated to States/UTs to facilitate uniformity in tracing missing child. Earlier, Supreme Court of India had issued several directions in the same case on 10.05.2013 which includes: - in case of complaint with regard to any missing children; made in a police station, the same should be reduced into a First Information Report and appropriate steps should be taken to see that follow up investigation is taken up immediately thereafter. Ministry of Home Affairs has issued an Advisory in this regard on 25th June, 2013. This advisory is available on www.mha.nic.in.
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