In a remarkable display of dedication during the recent Puri Rath Yatra, the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) successfully reunited 260 lost children with their anxious families. This heartwarming achievement highlights both the challenges and triumphs in Odisha's ongoing battle to protect its most vulnerable citizens.
The Heartbreaking Case of Two Lost Sisters
A particularly poignant case emerged just one week ago when railway police discovered two young sisters, aged four and seven, huddled together at Puri railway station after dark. The frightened children had no address to provide and couldn't utter a single word to help authorities.
The CWC immediately launched an investigation but faced significant challenges in determining the girls' origins. From their distinctive accent, officials could only ascertain they came from one of Odisha's tribal districts. The circumstances led CWC members to suspect the children might have been deliberately abandoned by their parents on the train.
Alarming Statistics Reveal Widespread Crisis
The situation of missing children in Odisha has reached concerning proportions, as revealed by Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida in a recent assembly session. In a written reply to Patna MLA Akhila Chandra Naik, Parida disclosed that 2,975 children remain untraceable across the state despite ongoing rescue efforts.
The official data shows that from January 2024 until now, Odisha registered 11,337 missing children cases. While authorities have successfully traced and rescued 8,362 of these children, thousands more continue to disappear under various circumstances.
Regional disparities in rescue success rates are particularly striking. Khurda district recorded the highest number of missing children with 785 complaints, of which 576 have been rescued. Balasore reported the second-highest figure with 683 cases, but achieved a concerningly low rescue rate with only 114 children recovered. Meanwhile, Gajapati district registered 659 cases but managed to trace 715 children, indicating successful recovery of some long-term missing cases.
Complex Reasons Behind Missing Children Cases
According to CWC officials, children go missing for numerous complex reasons that complicate rescue efforts. These include consensual elopement among teenagers, abandonment by single parents, cases where single mothers abandon children to remarry, children fleeing unruly home environments, social media enticements, separation in crowded events like Rath Yatra, and false job promises.
Ajit Kumar Mohapatra, Chairperson of CWC Puri, revealed another disturbing trend: Some parents abandon children with cerebral palsy in Puri due to religious beliefs or to avoid caregiving responsibilities.
"In cases of consensual elopement, children are rarely found if they find a compatible mate," Mohapatra explained. "But if they fall into the wrong hands, they face exploitation. Police face challenges when settled children attain majority age and have no issues. Where exploitation and torture occur, police put in serious effort. Otherwise, in normal missing cases, unless there is pressure, police effort tends to be lax."
The state government has assured continued efforts to trace the remaining missing children through coordinated actions between police and Child Welfare Committees across Odisha.
