Numerous posts regarding missing children have gained a good traffic across several Facebook groups. The most widely discussed trend involves the disappearance of 35 children within a span of 48 hours.
However, the police have dismissed this as a rumor spread by an unverified account which has been traced by the law-enforcers. Despite this, the incidents of child disappearances are unfortunately occurring with regularity.
Is it really, so many children gone missing?
Neither the police nor other law enforcement agencies have accurate information on missing children.
However, the Department of Social Services is working on this issue. The people can lodge missing report of children by calling the hotline 1098 there. It should be noted that about 1,600 missing children have been returned to their relatives every year through the department hotline.
As such, they rescued 3 children daily. However, the number of contacts on the hotline for missing children is very low. Parents usually post on various Facebook groups regarding the missing.
In this regard, Director General of the Department of Social Services Abu Saleh Mostafa Kamal said, "If people contact our hotline, we can take action in that regard. We can`t take action if not informed through the hotline."
However, in case of missing, there is a tendency to post in Facebook group or from personal ID or page. As many as 16 new missing issues have been found up to 6 pm on Sunday by scrolling into Facebook. These are posted in different groups and personal IDs.
Most of these Facebook groups represent certain areas. However, most of the notifications lost on Sunday are from Chittagong, Feni, Gazipur, Narayanganj and Barisal regions.
By calling the phone number associated with the lost notices, this media outlet found that their child or younger sibling is missing.
Many were found two to three hours after being reported lost. As a result, they did not file missing complaint at the police station as well as did not remove the post in the groups.
The Barisal-based group "Gorber Bakerganj" received two missing person notices, with one being published the previous day.
When contacted, the group admin explained that such notices were posted to ensure transparency, as no financial assistance was being sought, thus reducing the risk of deception.
In the meantime, a notice about a missing person was posted in this group last Friday, seeking a 13-year-old boy named Shakib Hossain (pseudonym).
The contact number provided in the post indicated that the child was found on Saturday in Barisal city.
However, questions arise as to why the post wasn`t removed or why the police station wasn`t informed once the child was located.
Responding to these queries, the guardian explained that amidst the transition from anxiety to relief, they simply overlooked taking further action.
Police term it rumour
The police have declared the reported child`s disappearance to be entirely unfounded and based on rumor. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) stated that there is no factual basis to the incident.
Dr. K. Mahid Uddin, Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations) of DMP, remarked, "We believe this is a rumor. We have thoroughly investigated the matter and found no evidence of a missing person. Certain individuals may be spreading this information to incite panic. We are investigating the origins of these claims."
Police have identified Safiullah Safa as the likely originator of the initial viral post about the missing child. Upon contacting individuals who posted on Facebook on July 6 and 7, it was discovered that some were unaware of any missing child. Furthermore, the phone numbers provided in the missing notices were either inactive or the missing children had already been located.
Dhaka University Information Technology Institute Director Prof BM Mainul Hossain says that the issue of missing children may be rumours.
"One should be more aware of information sharing. If you see rumors or such news on social media, do not share it and cross check it with the main stream news," he added.
Meanwhile, a statement has been issued from police headquarters regarding recent social media posts concerning "missing children." It has been emphasized that these posts are unfounded rumors. The police headquarters urges the public not to be misled or alarmed by such misinformation.
Why are Madrasah students frequently reported missing?
A recent Facebook notification revealed that among 16 missing children notifications, 10 were students studying to become Hafiz in Madrasahs.
Professor Muhammad Shah Alamgir, Chairman of the Madrasa Education Board, stated, "We have no information regarding the disappearance of Madrasah students. Children do not go missing from our educational institutions."
However, he did not address why there is a higher incidence of missing children from Madrasahs specializing in Hafiz studies.
Of the 10 Madrasah students reported missing on Sunday, two were found by 6 pm. One child was located in Kapasia, Gazipur, two hours after being reported missing. The parent mentioned that the child disappeared after Zohar prayer and attempted to return home from the Madrasah without notifying anyone, possibly taking a wrong route.
Kadruddin Shishir, an AFP fact-checker, highlighted that increased visibility of missing notifications on Facebook is likely due to the platform`s algorithm.
He noted that several such notifications appeared in his newsfeed after searching for lost notices on Facebook recently.
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