Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Girls aged between 13 and 17 years, belonging to lower socio-economic class make up most of the missing minors in the city. The city’s hotspots for such cases are Chandan Nagar, Azad Nagar, Lasudia, Dwarkapuri, and Bhanwarkuan areas. In most cases, the offender is either a neighbour or a relative, and the purpose of these crimes is rape or physical assault, intent of marriage and love affair.
These shocking findings were a part of the comprehensive research report released by the Indian Institute of Management, Indore, on Saturday which sheds light on demographic, geographic trends and patterns of missing minor cases in Indore in the last five years.
The director of IIM, Indore, Himanshu Rai, presented the research report to police commissioner Makrand Deoskar at a programme organised at police controll room in Palasia. An MoU was signed between IIM, Indore and Indore Police on July 5 to ascertain the reasons behind children going missing from home.
Police commissioner Makrand Deoskar commended the work carried out by IIM, Indore, and said that the detailed research will undoubtedly yield positive results. He assured that the Indore Police will work to minimise such incidents by thoroughly examining the research report and integrating its findings into its operations.
The number of girls that go missing from the city is nearly three times the number of boys who go missing from the city. According to the NCRB factsheet 2022, the number of cases of missing girls registered in the city was 732 while the number of boys who went missing was 245.
According to the National Crime Record Bureau’s (NCRB) Crime in India report (2021), "nine children go missing every hour in the country, while eight children are trafficked daily." The NCRB factsheet reveals that in the state, among the children who went missing in 2022, more than 75% (8,844 children) were girls. Since 2019, Indore district has reported the highest number of missing minor cases in the state.
Other major findings of the report
· A majority of missing minor girls were being lured away by men aged between 18 and 23 years.
· In 79 case files, a majority of victims (68.4%) belong to nuclear families. Family issues like aggressive parenting, abusive relationships, or forced child marriage are significant push factors.
· Post-recovery, 43% of female victims chose not to stay with their families or were shunned away by their parents and local guardians. 39.2% girls reported no regret at the time of recovery.
· Police officers observed that 80% of minors felt they did nothing wrong by running away, though they showed remorse for the impact on both parties and families.
· After recovery, rehabilitation involves medical examinations, counselling sessions, and technical training for girls staying at shelter homes. Professional psychological counselling may aid in trauma recovery.
Recommendations of the report:
· Establish a central communication channel and transport facility to accelerate the recovery process.
· Implement a reward-based incentive system for investigating officers who successfully recover 60 or more missing children within 12 months.
· Deploy specialised teams for preventing and policing crimes against minors.
· Conduct IEC – information, education and communication, training campaigns in hotspot areas as pilot models, with pre-post data comparisons. Inform, educate and communicate with youths to reduce these incidents.
· Children aged 13-17 should undergo annual awareness sessions on the law and legal implications of crimes against minors and children should undergo awareness sessions related to sex education from grades 8 to 12.
· Introduce short video awareness campaigns on social media and display informational leaflets about the POCSO Act in movie theatres and urban slum areas.
· Initiate family counselling cells, emphasising the crucial role of parenting and mentoring for children aged 13 to 17 years.
· Highlight existing social policies for girls' education, law awareness, and value systems.
