New Delhi: The menace of missing children has continued in the Capital, with over 1,500 missing children cases registered over the last six months, of which 800 children are yet to be traced. According to the latest data from Delhi Police (till June 27), around 64 male children up to 8 years of age went missing, among which 28 are yet to be traced; whereas 41 girls in the same age group went missing and 15 of them are still at large. "In the age group between 8 to 12 years, over 120 male and 52 female went missing in which 52 boys and 24 girls are yet to be traced," data shows. According to an official in Delhi Polices Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), comparing past years, they have seen a decline in missing cases. "Due to COVID-19, parents are there with their kids, chances are that there will be fewer such cases," the official said, adding that while probing past cases, they claimed to have not found any organised gang behind child begging. The data further shows that in the age group of 12 to 18 years, about 369 boys and 1,088 went missing, of which 165 boy and 565 girl children are yet to be traced. The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) had released a compendium on missing children last year in which they claimed that children from poor families were most vulnerable. "After analysing the data of missing children in 50 areas of Delhi, it was found that most of the vulnerable areas are in bordering districts of Delhi," said Samrah Mirza, DCPCR member. She further said that they have also received complaints related to missing children during COVID-19 where children, after being scolded by their parents, leave their homes and also they are giving more focus on children of age group between 12-17 as they are the most likely to elope. Rita Singh, member DCPCR said that traffickers mostly target kids living in cluster areas but this year they were with their families due to COVID-19 so chances of missing or trafficking were less. "But during lockdown children were inside their home so they did not go outside to play after unlock phase 1, if children go out to play then parents have to keep an eye on their kids," she said. The child rights body has come up with a new set of guidelines to curb child labour and trafficking in times of the Coronavirus pandemic. "The traffickers may target those families with poor economic background and lure parents to send their children for work or quietly brainwash the child and traffic the kid. We have alerted important government agencies about the situation and are also keeping a tab on poor children," Roop Sudesh Vimal, member DCPCR said.

Stay updated with all the Delhi Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.