Speakers at a seminar on "The Grim Problem of Missing Children" said that missing of children has become a serious issue in the society as 2,873 children have gone missing in Pakistan during the last five years and only 279 of them could be recovered. The seminar was organised by the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) at its office here on Thursday. Director PPF Dr Samina Ishaq presided over the seminar while Mushtaq Ahmed, GM Overseas Pakistanis Foundation, Muhammad Ali, in charge Missing Children Desk Madadgar, Nasim Ahmed Khan from Edhi Welfare Trust and Arfa Zainab, Co-ordinator Azad Foundation spoke on the occasion.
Mushtaq Ahmed said hundreds of these children were smuggled abroad and more than 2,500 children have still been in these countries, being used as camel-kids.
He said that these children were kidnapped from the areas of southern Punjab and sent abroad through different routs.
Nasim Ahmed Khan said that more than 1,400 children have been in Edhi Shelter homes at Korangi and Super Highway. Edhi center has handed over many of such children to their parents.
He said that most of children, kept in the Edhi homes, belong to Punjab while some are Burmi, Bengali and Afghans, belonging to poor and low-income families.
Muhammad Ali said that Madadgar has established a separate desk to monitor the cases of missing children.
Arfa Zainab said that Azad Foundation is providing day care facilities to the children, who have no home and living on streets.
Dr Samina Ishaq urged for collective efforts to overcome this issue. She also urged to take necessary steps for rehabilitation of the children, living on the streets so that they could become good citizens.