Pak authorities yet to locate over 130 missing children

Karachi, Sept. 6 (ANI): More than 136 children who went missing from Pakistan in the first six months of 2012, still remain untraced. Authorities have managed to locate only five children so far, a report released by the Madadgaar National Helpline has said.

According to The Express Tribune, the report, which was compiled from incidents reported in newspapers, stated that 87 boys and 49 girls reportedly went missing during the period. Eighty-one children had disappeared from Karachi, according to the report.

Twenty-nine cases were reported from in June, followed by 27 cases in May, 23 in April, 21 in February, 19 in January and 17 in March.

"Hundreds of children went missing during the 2005 earthquake, and then during floods in Sindh," said Zia Ahmed Awan, president of Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid (LHRLA).

The LHRLA president also blamed law enforcement agencies for their "indifferent" attitude and the inordinate amount of time to swing into action once such incidents are reported to them.

"Missing children are not only facing sexual harassment, but are forced to become beggars and prostitutes," added Awan. (ANI)

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