GOVERNMENT authorities responsible for the welfare of children should prioritise the search for the missing 37 children, says Opposition spokeswoman on Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Salote Radrodro.
She said the figure was alarming, especially for children to go missing in a country where people practically knew each other.
“It must be underscored that any number of children missing is a grave issue for all of us, as these are the formative years of their life and a stage at which they can be easily manipulated and exploited,” she said.
Mrs Radrodro added that cases of missing children had to be approached differently.
“For instance, why wait for 24 hours before a missing person’s report is lodged, it is particularly important when a child is involved to report the matter immediately as time is of the essence.
“The relevant authorities are not giving priority to tracking down missing children and this is exemplified by the number of children that have remained missing since 2014,” she said.
Mrs Radrodro said police should seriously investigate if these children had been trafficked.
