Out of the 11 missing children, just over half of them are ever found. This is according to a study entitled ‘Missing Children in India’ by a child rights organization in India called Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA).
The report compiled data for over two years from January 2008 to January 2010, and stated that most of the missing children end up as child labour or in the sex trade.
Child rights organizations claimed that most of the missing children are from poor families, and many remain untraced due to the apathy of the police and law enforcement agencies.
It is based on data from the government-controlled National Crime Record Bureau, the National Human Rights Commission, various child rights groups and information obtained under the Right to Information Act.
The report was able to gather information from the government-controlled National Crime Record Bureau and various other groups and commissions. According to the data, 117,480 children went missing between January 2008 and January 2010.
Based on these findings, the report estimates that the total number of children who go missing every year in India could be as high as 96,000. However, it is also claimed that many cases go unreported.
BBA founder Kailash Satyarthi stated that "The majority of the missing children are not even being acknowledged, let alone registered and investigated by the police and enforcement agencies."
The report also states that these missing children were often abducted for ransom before being made to beg or work as bonded labour.
It also claimed that many children are sexually exploited. Sometimes, they are even used as child soldiers or combatants in armed conflicts.
BBA started 30 years ago as the first movement against child labour and bonded labour in India.
BBA works to provide a holistic solution to end child labour, and is actively involved at many levels- from working with community at the grassroots, to advocacy for policy change with policy makers.