Alarming rise in child abductions

Hospitals in the city, particularly maternity hospitals, have always been notorious for abduction of infants. The recent instance of two infants being taken away from Gandhi Hospital in broad daylight despite security arrangements is not an isolated case. Unfortunately, no fool-proof security apparatus has been put in place in any such vulnerable government buildings.

A recent report comes out with startling facts and figures. Hyderabad enters the dubious list of being high in the category. Around 356 cases of child abduction have been registered. This translates to a child getting abducted every 30th hour, which is pretty scary.It is rather pitiable that the figure has been showing a steady increase, despite the versions of the hospitals and authorities being to the contrary.

Not just newborns but even children are being kidnapped by strangers, who are part of a bigger racket wherein they make a fast buck selling the child for a price. The ‘buyer; goes for the kill by selling the child to distraught childless couple or putting them into flesh trade.

Denouncing the alarming trend and the toothless efforts to check the sordid happenings, Achyuta Rao, member of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, said ‘child abduction is a criminal activity. Despite media reports and police cases, there seems to be no reduction in the numbers. Sadly, even private hospitals have become victims to this menace.”

Abducted children can be used for many nefarious acts- illegal adoption; human trafficking with an intention to exploit the child or for trading and murder. Child abduction has been characterized in a form of ‘Parental Alienation’ and ‘Child Abuse’. The happening of this abduction takes place majorly in slums and those hospitals with poor security and monitoring, opines another child welfare activist.

The ineptness of the police can be understood when one realises that a scarce numbers of incidents have been solved where the child has been restored to the biological parent, points out Subhash Chandra, who is into rescue of missing children. Various inter-state gangs are part of the nexus with hospital insiders being hand in glove in some incidents.

Abductions rob a child of their sense of belonging and most of those who survive the ordeal end up as beggars or vagabonds. Chandra adds that ‘a better coordinated effort is the need of the hour. The rescued children should be adopted by the Child Welfare Department and Anganvadis.’

By:Sindhura Dharmasanam