International Missing Children’s Day is annually observed across the globe on 25th May to create awareness about child abduction and educate the general public on the measures to protect and safeguard their children.
The day is widely referred to with a forget-me-not flower as its emblem
Background:
i.In 1983, then President of United States of America(USA) Ronald Reagen declared the 25th May of every year as the USA’s National Missing Children’s Day.
ii.The date marks the disappearance of a 6-year-old boy Etan Patz on 25th May 1979, who was kidnapped on his way to school in New York City, USA.
iii.The International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC), Missing Children Europe and the European Commission formally recognised the 25th May of every year as “International Missing Children’s Day”.
iv.The first International Missing Children’s Day was formally recognised on 25th May 2001.
Efforts in India:
i.The Ministry of Women and Child Development(MoWCD) has been implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, namely the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) since 2009.
ii.National Informatics Centre (NIC) developed the TrackChild portal, designed and developed adhering to the guidelines provided in the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and Model Rules 2007.
NGO Report: 29 children in MP and 14 in Rajasthan went missing per day in 2021:
i.According to the “Status Report on Missing Children” report of Child Rights and You (CRY), an Indian Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), on average, 29 children in Madhya Pradesh(MP) and 14 in Rajasthan went missing every day in 2021.
On average, 8 children (6 girls and 2 boys) went missing per day from 58 districts of Uttar Pradesh(UP).
ii.According to the National Crime Records Bureau(NCRB), in 2020, 8,751 cases of missing children were registered in MP and 3,179 in Rajasthan and the numbers increased in 2021 to 10,648 in MP and 5,354 in Rajasthan.
