Jammu Kashmir: 509 Minor Girls Reported Missing Till 2023; 209 Traced, 300 Still Unresolved | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir reported 509 missing girl children till 2023, of whom 209 were traced while 300 remained untraced, according to data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau and placed before the Lok Sabha.

The figures, cited by the Ministry of Home Affairs, reflect both fresh cases and those carried forward from previous years, indicating a continuing backlog of unresolved cases in the Union Territory.

The data shows a steady trend over recent years. In 2022, a total of 502 girls were reported missing in Jammu and Kashmir, of whom 275 were traced and 227 remained untraced. In 2021, 443 cases of missing girls were recorded, with 188 recoveries and 255 remaining untraced.

The Ministry clarified that such statistics are published annually by the NCRB in its “Crime in India” report and that separate data on crimes specifically committed against missing girl children is not maintained.

Addressing the issue, the government reiterated that policing and public order fall under the jurisdiction of States and Union Territories, making the Jammu and Kashmir administration responsible for investigation and law enforcement in such cases.

At the same time, the Centre said it supplements these efforts through multiple initiatives, including the TrackChild portal and Khoya-Paya platform integrated under Mission Vatsalya to aid in tracing missing children. These systems are linked with the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) to enable real-time matching of cases across jurisdictions.

Additional measures include mandatory registration of FIRs in all missing children cases with an initial presumption of abduction or trafficking, a 24×7 Child Helpline (1098) integrated with the Emergency Response Support System (112), and strengthening of Anti-Human Trafficking Units across districts.

The Ministry also highlighted the role of the Crime Multi Agency Centre (Cri-MAC) for real-time information sharing among law enforcement agencies, alongside enhanced legal provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 aimed at stricter punishment for crimes against children.

The government said these interventions are intended to strengthen tracing mechanisms and ensure quicker recovery of missing children, even as data underscores the scale of the challenge in regions including Jammu and Kashmir.