Algeria: 500,000 children victim of school dropout annually

The toll-free number 104 which was set by the National Security Department came in force on Sunday to notify about kidnapping and missing children and old people.

The head of the National Institution for the Promotion and Protection of children’s rights said more than 500,000 children are victim of school dropouts every year. This would lead to the spread of social scourges and moral decay.

The police launched the toll-free number during an information conference held at El-Aurassi Hotel on Children’s Universal Day.

National Police Chief Abdelghani Hamel called for the necessity of fighting violence against children.

“The toll-free number 104 is meant to support the national warning plan to help victims. It will also be used for weak people such as elderly and people with special needs,” Hamel said in an address delivered by the head of communication and journalism cell.

Hamel added that this achievement came to reinforce the national warning plan about missing or kidnapped children.

He called on partners to unify efforts to spread the culture of notifying and using the number to protect children and weak people.

Senior police officer Samir Chetouf said 70 percent of missing cases are not real as they are either a school dropout or a romance adventure.

“The police have reported 21 abduction cases since 2003. The main reasons behind this phenomenon is the involvement of relatives and sorcery.

The head of the National Institution for the Promotion and Protection of Children’s Rights Mustapha Khyati said more than 500,000 children are victim of school dropout annually in Algeria.