It is alarming that 94 per cent of minor girls who were kidnapped or abducted in the year 2018 in MP were of age group 12 to 18 years, said Regional Director, Child Rights and You (CRY) North, Soha Moitra, here on Thursday while referring to the latest National Crime Record Bureau's (NCRB) report -- 'Crime in India: 2018.'
Moitra said: "It is alarming that 94 per cent of minor girls who were kidnapped or abducted in the year 2018 in MP were of age group 12 to 18 years. Usually, there is a generic response towards such trends that girls of this age group elope."
"This is high time we should break this narrative as these girls might be pushed into child labour, domestic trade, and even sex trade," she said.
According to the NCRB report, on an average 16 girls were kidnapped or abducted each day in Madhya Pradesh in 2018.
"Madhya Pradesh registered third-highest number of cases of kidnapping and abduction of children among all states in the year," said the CRY in a statement.
A total of 7,951 victims were recorded under the category of kidnapping and abduction where 72.53 per cent of victims were girls.
CRY said that a 27 per cent rise in cases victims of kidnapping and abduction of minor girls was recorded in 5 years -- between years 2014 and 2018.
There was a 55.8 per cent rise in cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in a year in Madhya Pradesh, said the CRY.
Expressing her concern over the present scenario of girl child in Madhya Pradesh, Moitra said: "Whether it is about safety, health, education or nutrition, girls are vulnerable at every stage."
( With inputs from ANI )