Over 1,000 minors still missing

Be more aware of children’s movements, parents and guardians urged

MORE than 1,000 children and teenagers reported missing since 2013 remain unaccounted for.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Masir Kujat said 28 minors who went missing in 2013 had yet to be found, with the number rising to 56 in 2014, 219 in 2015 and 824 last year.

This means that of the 7,654 minors reported missing between 2013 and 2016, the whereabouts of 1,127 minors are still unknown.

“Most of the missing ones found said they ran away from home either because they were seeking freedom or following friends and lovers.

“Among other reasons given were misunderstandings within the family, seeking employment, refusal to study and, in some cases, following a parent,” he said in reply to a question from Dr Izani Husin (PAS-Pengkalan Chepa) in Parliament yesterday.

Masir added that those aged between 13 and 18 accounted for the biggest chunk of juveniles reported missing between 2013 and last year.

“A total of 3,599 teenagers aged 13 to 15 and 3,333 teenagers aged 16 to 18 were reported missing in that period.

“Police also received reports of 65 missing children aged below six, and 297 children aged between seven and 12 during the same pe- riod,” Masir said.

He added that teenage girls were more likely to run away from home than boys, with statistics showing the former’s numbers at no less than 1,000 every year.

“In 2013, we had a total of 1,597 girls missing, followed by 1,536 in 2014, 1,310 in 2015 and 1,222 last year.

“As for boys, we had 457 missing reports in 2013, followed by 479 in 2014, 472 in 2015 and 581 last year,” he added.

Masir also advised parents and guardians to be more vigilant in caring for their children, as well as to closely monitor their movements both in real life and on social media.

“Police and the ministry also have regular child awareness campaigns to educate parents on the need to be aware of these issues and the social implications,” he said.