The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of alarming reports highlighting a sharp rise in missing persons cases across India, with Odisha emerging as a major hotspot for human trafficking, particularly involving minor boys.
According to a media report cited by the NHRC, Odisha leads the country in registered cases of trafficking of minor boys, followed closely by Bihar. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data points to Odisha, Bihar, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan as the states recording the highest numbers of human trafficking incidents overall. In cases involving minor girls, Rajasthan tops the list.
The Commission expressed grave concern over the increasing number of missing persons—many of them children—and the reportedly poor success rate in tracing and recovering them. In Bihar alone, between 12,000 and 14,000 missing person cases have been registered annually since 2013, with many involving children; yet only about two-thirds are recovered. Similar patterns are feared in other high-risk states, including Odisha, where vulnerable children are suspected of being forced into begging, child labour, prostitution, and other exploitative illegal activities.
Describing these as serious human rights violations, the NHRC has issued formal notices to the Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police (DGPs) of Bihar, Odisha, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. The authorities have been directed to submit a detailed report within two weeks, outlining:
– Steps already taken and those proposed to address the rising cases of missing persons, especially children.
– Measures to curb human trafficking networks.
– Progress on tracing and rehabilitating victims.
The Commission has also sought the latest statistical data directly from the NCRB on the status of missing persons in these five states within the same two-week period.
