In view of the panic caused by reports of child lifting cases in the state, the Directorate of School Education had issued directives to all schools in Nagaland earlier this month, detailing the dos and don’ts that school administration should follow to avoid any untoward incidents. Besides suggesting measures including installation of CCTVs inside and outside school gates, the department also stressed on the need to create regular awareness about such crimes among students, teachers and parents in co-ordination with the police department. The move was triggered by reports of two persons allegedly attempting to kidnap a child in Dimapur last month and the arrest of a four people on suspicion of kidnapping children in the state’s commercial hub. The reports of children going missing, who were fortunately found unharmed later, could have compounded the fear of parents. It is natural for parents to be alarmed by such reports and this could cause panic as they are concerned about the safety of their children. So, the School Education department’s pro-activeness is laudable as it sent out a message to the public that the state government is not a sitting duck. Creating awareness and reminding the citizens about crimes like kidnapping and human trafficking at regular intervals is necessary as precautionary measures and vigilance can save many lives.
The startling data about human trafficking and missing cases provided by the National Crime Records Bureau in its latest report is alarming. As per the report, a total of 2,189 cases of human trafficking were registered in 2021 against 1,714 cases in 2020 across the country, which is an increase of 27.7%, while 2,877 victims out of the total 6,533 were children. A total of 3,89,844 persons (1,24,177 male, 2,65,481 female and 186 transgender) were reported missing in 2021, while the number was 3,23,170 in the previous year. The data also showed that a total of 77,535 children (17,977 male, 59,544 female and 14 transgender) were reported missing in 2021, compared to 59,262 in the previous year, out of which 708 remained untraced. The report also showed that eight kidnapping and abduction cases involving 10 victims were reported in Nagaland during the period. The rise in the number of human trafficking and missing cases is a matter of grave concern which should be addressed on a war footing. The issue is even grimmer in the Northeast as the people in the region are more vulnerable to human trafficking due to unemployment, poverty and other social problems. It is a collective responsibility of the law enforcing agencies, legal services authority and communities to ensure the safety of children. Reporting to the police or calling the Child Helpline when encountered with suspected human traffickers or suspicious movement of children like travelling alone and without guardian will save lives. Panicking after reading unconfirmed reports on social media won’t solve the issue but vigilance will.