Introduction
The world’s countries are classified into three major groups: developed, developing, and less developed countries. The World Bank divides the world’s countries based on per capita income or GNI (gross national income) per capita. The World Bank divides GNI per capita into four categories: high-income countries, upper-middle-income countries, lower-middle-income countries, and low-income countries. The data of the World Bank reported that the difference in GNI among the countries of the world can be seen (WDI – The World by Income and Region, 2021). The positioning of countries changes proportionally.
Number of missing persons and current status
If a country is peaceful and crime is low, it may be a country that does not face the danger of kidnapping or disappearance. Even so, how many young people disappear in developed countries versus developing countries? In this section, the developed country will be the United States, and India will be the developing country.
According to the date of the APA, in the fiscal year 2020, the total number of missing young people in the United States was 388,122 (Number of missing persons files in the U.S. by age and gender 2020 | Statista, 2021).
Also, the date of the APA shows that the number of missing persons in the U.S. has been decreasing every year.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs clarified that the number of missing youth in India in 2019 was 73,138 (Missing Children 2018 vs 2019, 2021) (2021).
Additionally, the date of the APA shows that the number of missing persons in India was increasing every year. (India: number of reported kidnapping and abduction cases 2020 | Statista, 2021) In FY2020, the number of missing persons is expected to have decreased slightly due to the coronavirus.
At first glance, people might think that India, with its economic disparity, would have more disappearances. Surprisingly, it turned out that the number of missing persons was shockingly higher in the United States, a developed country, than in India, a developing country. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reported that a government-affiliated non-profit organization, runaways accounted for more than 90% of the more than 29,800 cases in 2020, with family abductions accounting for 5%, displacements 1%, and kidnappings by others less than 1%. (アメリカの子どもの行方不明事案, 2021)
Do you think parents had better “spare the rod” and pamper the kid? (Educational policy)
In India, the caste system still restricts women’s learning opportunities, and there is still a strong tendency to believe that women should stay at home. According to the Ministry of Human Resource Development Government of India, by 2040, India aims to have an educational system that provides equitable access to the highest quality education for all learners, despite economic and social background or environment (Sahni, 2021).
One of the biggest reasons why the number of missing persons in India is high is poverty causes children to be kidnapped and trafficked. Many children are forced to engage in forced labor, domestic slavery, and sex work.
On the other hand, education in the U.S. has become quite racially disparate (between blacks or Hispanics and whites). The whites are more likely to live in affluent areas and have more opportunities to learn, which is evident historically.
The causes of young people’s disappearance from the U.S. include feeling uncomfortable at home and in the surrounding environment, abuse, family discord, pregnancy, and temptation on the Internet. Differences in values and identities resulting from poverty have been possible causes throughout the years, but with the development of social media in recent years, the causes of running away from home have become more complex.
Taking measures to resolve the situation
India recognizes that at this stage, the quality and equality of education are lacking, and the goal is to solve this problem over a long period. It may not be possible to completely get rid of the caste system that has been in place for a long time, but broadening the horizons of individuals should be the first step in eliminating missing youth.
In the U.S., the educational gap between two generations of immigrants is a problem, while the number of young people fleeing their homes has increased due to the widespread use of the Internet.
Therefore, the U.S. has introduced an emergency declaration system called AMBER Alert. AMBER stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response. This enables the system to promptly inform residents of missing cases, and a certain number of children have been rescued. In addition to that, parents need to have a good heart-to-heart with their children because of the increased time spent at home due to the coronavirus.
Conclusion
There were different trends and causes of missing young people in the United States, a developed country, and India, a developing country.
Although the number of missing persons in the U.S. has been decreasing year by year, the problem is that the number of missing persons is still high on a global scale. In contrast, India is experiencing an upward trend in the number of missing people year after year.
The United States is beginning to reflect modern reasons, although the economic disparity is also an issue. Unlike India, personal factors are showing up. India is plunged into poverty, kidnapping, and trafficking due to the persistent caste system.
There are some differences between the problems of developed countries and those of developing countries. However, in both countries, social and economic factors play a role. People need to start changing their mindset to improve the current situation and pass it on to the next generation.
Reference
Datatopics.worldbank.org. 2021. WDI – The World by Income and Region. [online] Available at: https://datatopics.worldbank.org/world-development-indicators/the-world-by-income-and-region.html [Accessed 23 October 2021].
Flo.uri.sh. 2021. Missing Children 2018 vs 2019. [online] Available at: https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/4248517/embed?auto=1 [Accessed 23 October 2021].
Ncrb.gov.in. 2021. [online] Available at: https://ncrb.gov.in/sites/default/files/missingpage-merged.pdf [Accessed 23 October 2021].
Sahni, U., 2021. India’s National Education Policy 2020: A reformist step forward?. [online] Brookings. Available at: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2020/10/02/indias-national-education-policy-2020-a-reformist-step-forward/ [Accessed 23 October 2021].
Statista. 2021. India: number of reported kidnapping and abduction cases 2020 | Statista. [online] Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/632505/reported-abduction-and-kidnapping-cases-india/ [Accessed 23 October 2021].
Statista. 2021. Number of missing persons files in the U.S. by age and gender 2020 | Statista. [online] Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/240387/number-of-missing-persons-files-in-the-us-by-age/ [Accessed 23 October 2021].
アメリカの子どもの行方不明事案, 年., 2021. 年間36万人がいなくなっている!? アメリカの子どもの行方不明事案 (2021年4月2日) – エキサイトニュース(2/4). [online] エキサイトニュース. Available at: https://www.excite.co.jp/news/article/Cyzo_273313/?white=on&p=2 [Accessed 23 October 2021].
