Children missing increased in Coimbatore
Thirteen-year-old Raghav (name changed) was picked up at the Gandhipuram central bus stand by the officials of the Juvenile Aid Police here on Friday.He ran away from his home in Kotagiri and found himself in Coimbatore. He was immediately handed over to the Child Welfare Committee and an inquiry is in progress to trace his family in Kotagiri.Raghav is probably one among the lucky children who are spotted by the police and are restored to their homes. Many others who run away still roam the streets in strange cities, unable to trace their way back home, while parents anxiously await their return.May 25 was International Missing Children's Day. According to the police, the number of children who were reported missing in the city has increased from 38 in 2005 to 44 in 2006.Till May 2007, the number reported is 21. This year, 16 children have been traced and sent to back to their families."Most of these children are those who run away from their homes," says Fr.John Dharman, Director of Don Bosco Anbu Illam.Pressure to perform in examinations, fear of results prompt them to run away, he adds.The Juvenile Aid Police also rescued more than 135 children this year who were seen roaming the streets, begging and at bus stands or railway stations, said Munira Begam, Inspector of Police, Special Juvenile Unit.
With the aim of helping the parents and the police find missing children, Don Bosco National Forum for Youth at Risk has launched a website, http://www.missingchildsearch.net./ in association with UNICEF.Parents can post the details of the child on the website and a search will be generated simultaneously in more than 40 cities of the country.The Don Bosco at Coimbatore is also planning to send an e-mail to all the Government offices in the State to extend their support for the proper functioning of the website.
From 8.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., more than 50 social service organisations that are part of the website meet online and exchange information on the missing children posted on the website.The police officers have been instructed to take serious notice of such cases irrespective of their jurisdiction, C.K.Gandhirajan, Commissioner of Police, said.
