New Delhi: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, one of the top Muslim organizations in India, voiced extreme concern over the startling number of women and girls who have gone missing nationwide, which has surpassed 13.13 lakh.
Speaking during a news conference on August 5, the secretary of the Jamaat’s women’s wing, Rahmathunnissan, cited data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) stating that 13.13 lakh females went missing between 2019 and 2021.
According to the Union Home Ministry, 10, 61,648 women over 18 years old and 2, 51,430 girls below the age of 18 were reported missing during this period. Madhya Pradesh accounted for the highest number of missing females, with nearly two lakh reported missing, and closely followed by West Bengal. The report highlights that in Madhya Pradesh, 1, 60,180 women and 38,234 girls went missing, while in West Bengal, 1, 56,905 women and 36,606 girls were reported missing between 2019 and 2021. Other states also recorded alarming numbers of missing girls and women. In Maharashtra, 1, 78,400 women and 13,033 girls went missing during the above period. Similarly, in Odisha, 70,222 women and 16,649 girls were reported missing, and Chhattisgarh witnessed 49,116 women and 10,817 girls going missing during the same time frame. Among the Union Territories, Delhi had the highest number of missing girls and women. The national capital reported that 61,054 women and 22,919 girls went missing between 2019 and 2021. In Jammu and Kashmir, 8,617 women and 1,148 girls were also reported missing during this period. It appears that calls for “Beti Bachao” remain election slogans, and various initiatives by the government, like the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018, that imposes more stringent penalties, including the death penalty, for the rape of girls under the age of 12, are not having the desired effect. Similarly, initiatives like the Emergency Response Support System with a single internationally recognized number (112) for all emergencies, Safe City Projects, the cybercrime reporting portal, and the National Database on Sexual Offenders, which were launched to facilitate the tracking and investigation of sexual offenders across the country by law enforcement agencies, appear to have had limited success.
She stated that Jamaat-e-Islami Hind believes that creating a society based on morality and ethics is the best way to avoid sexual offenses against women.
“Only a society that respects women’s dignity encourages modesty and decency and discourages vulgarity and licentiousness can stop women from being exploited and turning into a tool for the market forces to make money at the expense of their honour and self-respect,” she continued.
Jamaat urges Indians to stay away from the West’s path, which stripped women of their inherent dignity in the guise of independence and liberty. According to the Jamaat secretary, women must receive their full rights and empowerment, but not at the expense of their modesty and unique place in the home.
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