Over 800 minor girls missing in Hooghly in a year, child marriages on the rise

The incidents of missing minors and child marriages in Hooghly district are becoming increasingly alarming. According to data from the National Commission for Women (NCW), over 800 minor girls went missing from Hooghly district in the past year alone! The commission believes that this trend is rising due to the excessive use of mobile phones. Archana Majumdar, a member of the National Commission for Women, held a meeting with the Hooghly district administration and police administration at the Chunchura Circuit House.

Present at the meeting were the Additional District Magistrate (Development) of Hooghly, Kalyan Sarkar, the Additional Superintendent of Police of Rural Police, and other senior officials of the administration. After the meeting, the commission held a press conference and stated that the number of missing minors is higher in the rural areas of Hooghly. According to the commission, the rate of missing minors is increasing due to the excessive use of mobile phones. Girls are going missing after befriending strangers, being blackmailed, or falling into fraudulent traps on social media. In several cases, there is a suspicion that they are being caught by trafficking gangs.

Not only are there cases of girls going missing, but the trend of child marriages is also increasing rapidly in Hooghly. Forced marriages of school-aged girls, especially in the Arambagh sub-division, have become a common occurrence. The Commission mentioned that even if a missing minor is rescued, parents are not easily penalized. It has been recommended that parents should also be brought under the law. The commission warned that if necessary, they could be sent to jail.

The commission has recommended that the police enforce the law more strictly. Additionally, the district administration has been directed to organize awareness camps. There is an emphasis on educating students about mobile phone usage through special courses in schools. Will the administration take proper steps to curb this alarming trend of missing minor girls and child marriages in the rural communities of Hooghly? Otherwise, experts believe that the situation will become even more serious in the future.