Over 10,000 children go missing in Gujarat in 5 years, nearly 3,000 still untraceable

On an average in Gujarat, six children go missing every day. Official data from 2019 to 2023 reveals that 10,474 children were reported missing in the state over five years, and shockingly, 2,990 of them remain untraced.

Figures show that, on average, three of the six children who disappear daily are never found. A large proportion of these missing children are below 14 years of age, raising serious concerns about child trafficking.

In 2023 alone, 2,251 children went missing across the state, but only 1,727 were traced. The remaining 524 children are still unaccounted for. Nationally, Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of missing children in 2023, with 16,017 cases.

According to social workers and police sources, most of the untraced children, especially girls, are suspected to have fallen prey to trafficking networks. Boys are often pushed into child labour or organised begging rings, while girls are at risk of being forced into domestic servitude or pushed into flesh trade.