In a country where 3000 children are born every hour, the fact that 15 children go missing every hour seems to matter very little.

(Names have been changed to protect identities)
Rahul

13-year-old Rahul’s is a story of innocence lost. Still listed as a missing child in Mumbai, he ran away from home when he was just 7 to escape a violent father.

Afroz and Wasim

Salma cannot let her sons Afroz and Wasim out of her sight. Two years ago, they were kidnapped and pushed into bonded labour at a juice stall. She did find them a year ago, but did not know it was illegal for her children, both under 14, to be forced to work.

Geeta

9-year-old Geeta is back home with her family. She ran away after a fight with her brother, promising to never come back. When found by child rescue workers, Geeta refused to disclose her home address, even claiming she had been abducted by her uncle. Ironically, instead of her own home, she now seems to prefer the government’s child shelter home, where she feels she was cared for more.

Geeta isn’t getting what a ‘normal’ family has to offer.
Dr Achal Bhagat
Bittu

A desperate father has left no stone unturned to find his 13-year-old missing child, Bittu. Every Sunday, all day, Nakul Sharma combs the city looking for his eldest son. Bittu ran away from home in August 2013, the 6th time in 3 years. Nakul and his wife Namrata don’t understand why their son keeps running away.

Randeep

11-year old Randeep, missing for 3 weeks, reunited with his mother at the FXB Childline office in Delhi. It was the 16th time that Randeep has run away.

Is the police and the law equipped to look for and care for India’s missing children?

In May 2013, in a landmark ruling on a Bachpan Bachao Andolan petition, the Supreme Court, for the first time, directed the Police to do the following:

But with 51 per cent of missing children still untraced, the parents of such children say they get little or no help from the police.

Abandoned, abducted, trafficked or runaways. They are scared, vulnerable, in need of help. Even as we celebrate Kailash Satyarthi’s Nobel Prize, the award should also remind us that India does remain no country for children.

15 Children missing every hour

370 Children missing everyday

11000Children missing everymonth

In a country where 3000 children are born every hour, the fact that 15 children go missing every hour  seems to matter very little.

 

(Names have been changed to protect identities)

 

Rahul

 

13-year-old Rahul’s is a story of innocence lost. Still listed as a missing child in Mumbai, he ran away from home when he was just 7 to escape a violent father.

 

Afroz and Wasim

 

Salma cannot let her sons Afroz and Wasim out of her sight. Two years ago, they were kidnapped and pushed into bonded labour at a juice stall. She did find them a year ago, but did not know it was illegal for her children, both under 14, to be forced to work.

 

Geeta

 

9-year-old Geeta is back home with her family. She ran away after a fight with her brother, promising to never come back. When found by child rescue workers, Geeta refused to disclose her home address, even claiming she had been abducted by her uncle. Ironically, instead of her own home, she now seems to prefer the government’s child shelter home, where she feels she was cared for more.

 

Geeta isn’t getting what a ‘normal’ family has to offer.
Dr Achal Bhagat

 

Bittu

 

A desperate father has left no stone unturned to find his 13-year-old missing child, Bittu. Every Sunday, all day, Nakul Sharma combs the city looking for his eldest son. Bittu ran away from home in August 2013, the 6th time in 3 years. Nakul and his wife Namrata don’t understand why their son keeps running away.

 

Randeep

 

11-year old Randeep, missing for 3 weeks, reunited with his mother at the FXB Childline office in Delhi. It was the 16th time that Randeep has run away.

 

Is the police and the law equipped to look for and care for India’s missing children?

 

In May 2013, in a landmark ruling on a Bachpan Bachao Andolan petition, the Supreme Court, for the first time, directed the Police to do the following:

 

But with 51 per cent of missing children still untraced, the parents of such children say they get little or no help from the police.

 

Abandoned, abducted, trafficked or runaways. They are scared, vulnerable, in need of help. Even as we celebrate Kailash Satyarthi’s Nobel Prize, the award should also remind us that India does remain no country for children.

 

In a country where 3000 children are born every hour, the fact that 15 children go missing every hour  seems to matter very little.

 

(Names have been changed to protect identities)

 

Rahul

 

13-year-old Rahul’s is a story of innocence lost. Still listed as a missing child in Mumbai, he ran away from home when he was just 7 to escape a violent father.

 

Afroz and Wasim

 

Salma cannot let her sons Afroz and Wasim out of her sight. Two years ago, they were kidnapped and pushed into bonded labour at a juice stall. She did find them a year ago, but did not know it was illegal for her children, both under 14, to be forced to work.

 

Geeta

 

9-year-old Geeta is back home with her family. She ran away after a fight with her brother, promising to never come back. When found by child rescue workers, Geeta refused to disclose her home address, even claiming she had been abducted by her uncle. Ironically, instead of her own home, she now seems to prefer the government’s child shelter home, where she feels she was cared for more.

 

Geeta isn’t getting what a ‘normal’ family has to offer.
Dr Achal Bhagat

 

Bittu

 

A desperate father has left no stone unturned to find his 13-year-old missing child, Bittu. Every Sunday, all day, Nakul Sharma combs the city looking for his eldest son. Bittu ran away from home in August 2013, the 6th time in 3 years. Nakul and his wife Namrata don’t understand why their son keeps running away.

 

Randeep

 

11-year old Randeep, missing for 3 weeks, reunited with his mother at the FXB Childline office in Delhi. It was the 16th time that Randeep has run away.

 

Is the police and the law equipped to look for and care for India’s missing children?

 

In May 2013, in a landmark ruling on a Bachpan Bachao Andolan petition, the Supreme Court, for the first time, directed the Police to do the following:

 

But with 51 per cent of missing children still untraced, the parents of such children say they get little or no help from the police.

 

Abandoned, abducted, trafficked or runaways. They are scared, vulnerable, in need of help. Even as we celebrate Kailash Satyarthi’s Nobel Prize, the award should also remind us that India does remain no country for children.