KUALA LUMPUR: Girls vastly outnumbered boys among missing children in Malaysia this year.
Data from Bukit Aman's Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division (D11) showed that in the first half of the year, 421 of the 572 reported missing children were girls, making up 73.6 per cent of the total.
Data also showed that most missing children were aged 13 to 18, and 59 cases involved younger children aged 7 to 12.
According to the statistics, the majority of the disappearances took place in January, with 117 children reported missing that month.
Up to June, 484 had been found, with 88 still missing.
Child activist Datuk Dr Hartini Zainudin, co-founder of Yayasan Chow Kit, attributed the higher number of missing girls to additional social pressures and restrictions that might lead them to run away.
She said girls were often targeted more for exploitation, which could account for some disappearances.
She added that there might be an under-reporting of missing boys due to societal expectations of male independence.
"There is a longstanding preference for sons over daughters. How much does this play a factor?"
Such preferences, said Hartini, could lead to neglect and undervaluing of girls, increasing their vulnerability.
"This can result in adverse situations, including running away or being trafficked.
"(Girls may feel) misunderstood or unsupported at home, seeking independence or an escape from strict rules, or due to peer pressure and the desire to fit in with friends, as well as romantic relationships disapproved of by parents, abuse, neglect, or other serious family problems," she said.
Fellow activist and Suriana Welfare Society chairman Dr James Nayagam supported these observations, emphasising the influence of romantic relationships.
"Most of the time, there's a boyfriend in the picture. Either he disliked her parents or the relationship with the parents is very, very weak."
Nayagam added that in some cases, it was due to a group or a gang deciding to run away with the girl.
A lack of school attendance has also been identified as a significant contributor to the growing issue of runaways and missing children.
"(Not attending school causes) reduced adult supervision and structure in a child's life," said Hartini.
According to the data, 82 children were not attending school at the time of their disappearance, while 104 had stopped attending school in the past.
This absence, Hartini said, deprived children of essential support mechanisms.
"(There would be) fewer opportunities to build positive peer relationships," she said, highlighting how school environments fostered healthy social connections.
Beyond social interactions, schools offer critical resources that can safeguard children from negative influences.
Hartini warned that a lack of structured education "increases the risk of engaging in risky behaviours" and might push children towards dangerous choices.
Nayagam agreed, drawing attention to a pattern he has observed.
"I have yet to come across a child (who is regularly) attending school going missing," he said.
He noted that many children who went missing often came from "the lower-performing class" of the school, struggling academically.
Nayagam also raised the alarm on criminal elements linked to cases of runaway and missing children, especially among older minors.
"The girls are lured into prostitution and other things such as pornography," he said, adding that in these case, there were at times the involvement of criminal networks.
He also said in many cases he had handled, young male peers acted as facilitators.
"In situations involving young girls that I have dealt with, it's basically the boy who acts as a pimp."
He said the financial incentive for such activities could be significant, entrenching the cycle of exploitation.
Nayagam said these young girls often remained in such situations willingly, lured by the promise of income.
While police's statistics showed that only a handful of missing children cases involved criminal elements, Nayagam said the situation needed greater examination.
"It is something that we need to look at in much greater detail, rather than just accepting the figures," he said.
Earlier this year, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said an average of two children went missing each day between 2020 and September 2024.