She Goes Missing Broken Childhoods, Fractured Systems, and the Pursuit of Justice in India

Every missing child is not just a statistic-but a mirror to a society in crisis.Every eight minutes, a child goes missing in India. Behind each disappearance lies not only a personal tragedy but also a systemic failure-of families, communities, and the state. In She Goes Missing: Broken Childhoods, Fractured Systems, and the Pursuit of Justice in India, senior police officer and academic Simala Prasad investigates the disturbing realities behind these cases, drawing on her unique vantage point from years in frontline policing and research into childhood, trauma, and social identity.Far from being a straightforward tale of rescue and recovery, this book reveals how the very institutions meant to protect children-police stations, shelters, courts-often inflict further harm. Yet Prasad also shares stories of hope, where compassionate investigation and survivor-led approaches have led to healing and justice.Blending real-life case narratives with the insights of thinkers like Erikson, Bronfenbrenner, Bourdieu, and Foucault, She Goes Missing offers a rare, multidimensional look at the crisis of missing children. It is a deeply humane call for victim-sensitive policing, systemic reform, and a renewed understanding of children not as passive victims, but as agents of resilience and resistance.Urgent, unflinching, and ultimately hopeful, this is a vital book for parents, educators, policymakers-and anyone who believes that no child should ever disappear into silence.