A review literature on missing children has indicated that the tragedy of missing children triggers numerous and severe forms of child abuses. Though missing child in the form of child lost and separated from the parents or guardians itself by any means has many psychological, social and emotional repercussions; the potential abuse risks, threats and damages are heightened and multiplied in magnitude after that at later stages of life. The purpose of this review study was to investigate the prevalence and forms of missing children in Pakistan, its causes, triggering abuse effects, and recommendations for national policy formulation to mitigate this menace. In this review data analysis of last three years in Pakistan, more than 3 thousand children were missing every year as reported while estimated of more than that remain unreported because of familial and social stigma, lack of police support and tiring judicial system. The major forms of missing children were abduction, kidnap for ransom, runaway, way lost, sale or mortgage etc. Main causes of missing children included abduction for sexual abuse, family violence, broken homes, parental marital discords and tensions, school or workplace violence, abduction by terrorist groups, rural to urban migration, natural disasters as floods and earthquakes, beggar mafia, child mental sickness, sale or mortgage, prostitution, drugs and bonded labor gangs amongst other factors. The study has analyzed the incidence prevalence with demographic variables as child gender, socioeconomic status, geographical location etc., and psychosocial and emotional repercussions on child, family and society. Further, recommendations for an effective national policy formulation are suggested to mitigate the tragedy of missing children to alleviate the child, familial, social, economic and general human sufferings.
