Over 13 Lakh Girls and Women Went Missing in 3 Years, Govt Data Shows
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Delhi: An alarming number of girls and women, totaling approximately 13.13 lakh, went missing in India during the three-year period from 2019 to 2021, according to data presented by the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Rajya Sabha on July 26. Among the states, Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of missing individuals, with nearly two lakhs while West Bengal followed closely behind.
The Home Ministry reply revealed that between 2019 and 2021, 10,61,648 women above 18 years and 2,51,430 girls below 18 years were reported missing across the country. In 2019, as many as 82,084 girls and 3,42,168 women were reported missing, while in 2020, the figures were 79,233 girls and 3,44,422 women, showing no significant improvement in this regard.
Based on the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) website data, in 2019, 82,619 girls were reported missing, with 49,436 being recovered, and 3,29,504 missing women, of which 1,68,793 were rescued. In 2020, there were 79,233 missing girls and 3,44,422 missing women, with 2,24,043 women being rescued. The number of girls recovered in this year was not provided.
In 2021, 90,113 girls went missing, and 58,980 were recovered, while 3,75,058 women went missing, and 2,02,298 were recovered, as per the available NCRB data.
Madhya Pradesh had the highest number of missing girls and women during the same period, with 1,98,414 reported cases. According to the data compiled by NCRB and tabled in the Parliament, West Bengal accounted for 1,56,905 missing women and 36,606 missing girls. In Maharashtra, the figures stood at 1,78,400 missing women and 13,033 missing girls. In Odisha, 70,222 women and 16,649 girls went missing, while Chhattisgarh reported 49,116 missing women and 10,817 missing girls during the three years.
Among Union Territories, Delhi had the highest number of missing girls and women -- a total of 83,973 between 2019 and 2021
These numbers underscore the seriousness of the situation, raising concerns about the safety and security of girls and women in the country.
Even though the Home Ministry, in its reply listed out the laws and policies in place to safeguard women and girls, such as stricted penal provisions for rape of girls under age 12, the Emergency Response Support System, and sex offenders' registry, the impact is yet to be felt on ground as the data shows.
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