Gaurav Gogoi Flags ‘Serious Child Safety Crisis’ in Assam, Urges Govt to Act

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi on Thursday raised concerns over growing child safety crisis in Assam, urging the state government to take stronger action to protect children.

In a post on social media, Gogoi said the government had failed to take the level of action required to address the issue, despite the seriousness of the situation.

Citing data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for 2023, Gogoi said crimes against children in Assam have nearly doubled in a year. According to the data, the number of such cases rose from 4,084 in 2022 to 10,174 in 2023.

He said that while crimes against children increased by about 25 percent across India, the rise in Assam was close to 100 percent. Gogoi also claimed that the state has the highest crime rate against children in the country, with 84.2 cases per one lakh children compared to the national average of 39.

Referring to figures presented in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Gogoi said the government had acknowledged that more than 3,700 children have gone missing in the state over the past three years. He added that over 2,800 child labourers were rescued in the last five years.

Gogoi also highlighted recent incidents, including reports of three children going missing in Dima Hasao district. In another case, he said two 14-year-old girls from Kamrup Rural district near Guwahati were trafficked to Bihar last year. While one of the girls has been rescued, the other remains missing with no fresh information about her whereabouts.

Gogoi said behind every statistic is a child whose safety has been compromised and a family living in fear and uncertainty. “When a child goes missing, the entire world of the parents collapses,” he said.

Calling child protection the most basic responsibility of any government, Gogoi urged the Assam government to treat the issue with the seriousness it deserves and take urgent steps to safeguard children across the state.

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