Over 5,400 children have gone missing in Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh between 2016 and 2022, with more than 1,500 still untraced, official data reveals.
The figures highlight a persistent issue of child disappearances in the region, raising concerns over their safety and the effectiveness of efforts to locate them.
In 2016, a total of 1,070 children were reported missing, including 589 boys and 481 girls. Of these, 766 cases had been carried over from previous years, while 304 new cases were recorded that year. Authorities managed to trace 354 children, but 716—425 boys and 291 girls—remained untraced.
The following year, in 2017, 725 children went missing, including 431 boys and 294 girls. Out of these, 614 cases—379 boys and 235 girls—had been carried forward from previous years, while 111 children—52 boys and 59 girls—went missing that year. Officials managed to trace 219 children, including 141 boys and 78 girls, while 506 children—290 boys and 216 girls—remained untraced.
In 2018, the number of missing children rose to 800, comprising 384 boys and 416 girls. Of these, 506 cases were pending from previous years, while 294 children—94 boys and 200 girls—went missing that year.
Authorities successfully traced 416 missing children, including 181 boys and 235 girls, but 384 children—203 boys and 181 girls—remained missing.
The trend continued in 2019, with 661 children reported missing, including 306 boys and 355 girls. Among them, 384 cases had been carried over from previous years, while 277 children—103 boys and 174 girls—went missing that year. Authorities managed to trace 260 children—91 boys and 169 girls—but 401 children, including 215 boys and 186 girls, remained untraced.
In 2020, 627 children were reported missing, including 277 boys and 350 girls. Of these, 397 cases—214 boys and 183 girls—were carried over from previous years, while 230 new cases—63 boys and 167 girls—were recorded that year.
Additionally, Ladakh reported five missing children, including one boy and four girls. That year, 183 missing children were traced, including 61 boys and 122 girls, while 444 children—216 boys and 228 girls—remained untraced. In Ladakh, only one of the five missing children was found, while four—one boy and three girls—remained missing.
The number of missing children increased again in 2021, with 723 cases reported, including 280 boys and 443 girls.
Among them, 444 cases—216 boys and 228 girls—were carried over from previous years, while 279 children—64 boys and 215 girls—went missing that year. Ladakh recorded four missing children, though no new cases were reported there in 2021.
That year, 240 children were traced, including 52 boys and 188 girls, while 483 children—228 boys and 255 girls—remained untraced. In Ladakh, three of the four missing children were found, while one girl remained untraced.
By 2022, the number of missing children had risen to 821, including 319 boys and 502 girls. Of these, 483 cases—228 boys and 255 girls—had been carried forward from previous years, while 338 children—91 boys and 247 girls—went missing that year. Ladakh recorded one missing child, who was not found.
That year, 376 missing children were traced, including 101 boys and 275 girls, but 445 children—218 boys and 227 girls—remained untraced.
Despite continued efforts to track missing children, a significant number remain unaccounted for across Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh, leaving families in distress and highlighting ongoing challenges in addressing child disappearances in the region. (KNO)