Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s Operation Smile has rescued 19,000 missing children from being pushed into prostitution and bonded labor to ill-treatment by parents. The Central Government is planning to reward individual officers based on their performance but wants details of identified children to be published in media. The Operation has seen different state police and women and child departments step up efforts to rescue missing children, with Haryana and Maharashtra taking the lead.

Police also reported that the number of rescued boys was higher than girls, who are mostly pushed into prostitution. However, the CID department of Maharashtra rescued a girl who was being trafficked for the purpose of prostitution.

Home Ministry has also asked the state governments to sensitise and train police officers at various ranks about issued related to missing children, POSCO Act, Juvenile Justice Act and Protection of Child Rights Acts.

Test Your Knowledge

What is POSCO Act?

What is the meaning of the word “Sensitise”?

The International Missing Children’s Day is observed on _____.