Child exploitation in begging raises underlying issues as well
An elderly woman arrested for begging along with three children near a supermarket in Hyde Park Corner has triggered concerns about exploitation.
Begging has an adverse impact on the community. This societal issue is linked to family breakdown, unemployment, and poverty.
According to Chanaka Amarasinghe, chairman of the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), using children for begging is considered a serious crime that falls under child abuse.
There are a lot of complaints filed with the NCPA over children being used to beg.
“We, at the NCPA, make sure the child is always in safe care, even while police carry out law enforcement against those who commit such crimes,” he said. Usually, the victimised child is handed over to a probation-supervised child development centre, a volunteer organisation that invests in the physical health and intellectual development of children, or to a religious place.
“The important thing is not to act on individuals who are arrested. As a nation, we must determine the root causes and implement long-term solutions,” Mr. Amarasinghe said.
He said it is the impoverished who are inclined to beg. Occasionally, they form a strong team, and it is via this team that children are forced into begging, although the majority of youngsters in this business are coerced.
“At times, parents send their children to the market to beg,’’ Mr. Amarasighe said. Without schooling, these children could end up
illiterate, he reckons.
The NCPA involves 10 selected sectors, including the judiciary, defence, education, health, social services, tourism, labour, local and provincial authorities, and media, to develop an action plan for promoting child safety.
Soon, based on surveillance, an NCPA committee will be formed to deal with the issues of youngsters being exploited in begging.
Women and Child Affairs State Minister Geetha Kumarasinghe said some youngsters are given drugs and used for begging, and women feign pregnancy. These show that women and children used for begging have been turned into a business. She recommends programmes to empower women who are struggling financially and to help them be self-employed.
Plans will be implemented by the State Ministry, she said.
Ten shelters will be built in each district to allow women to maintain custody of children while being self-employed to gain financial freedom, Ms. Kumarasinghe said.
She has asked the Department of Social Services to collect information for a national survey on beggars.
Although laws exist, consideration should also be given to the practicality of imposing them.
She said that a law banning the use of children to sell goods on the streets is needed.
Dharshani Karunarathna, the director of social services at the Department of Social Services, said: “Data gathering is still ongoing; the survey report is still being finalised.”
“Expert suggestions and ideas are expected in the final report, which is to be presented to the Parliamentary Committee on Ways and Means in mid-April.’’
This census is being done in collaboration with the Rural Development Training and Research Institute. To reduce poverty, programmes should be increased. In social welfare and police departments, training officers should be appointed to control begging, Ms. Karunarathna said.
In addition, crimes including theft, robbery, fraud, and deceit may rise.
Priyantha Fernando, chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, believes between 3% and 5% of tourists experience harassment from beggars in Sri Lanka.
“We anticipate that the appropriate authorities will quickly look into the issues we have previously documented, particularly in the south. The Tourist Police are doing a good job ensuring tourists’ safety as well.’’
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Renuka Jayasundara of the Women and Children Abuse Investigation Unit of Sri Lanka Police said that as of today, 102 juveniles have been taken into custody for this year and placed in Department of Probationsupervised child development centres. They had been used for commercial-scale begging.
“We were able to place them with suitable guardians, and we will keep up the effort to end child exploitation,” DIG Jayasundara said.
To help women and children who have experienced abuse, the police have also set up a hotline: 109.
Police Media Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa, who is also in charge of police crime range, said the Social Services Rehabilitation Centre in Ridiyagama, Hambantota District, is congested, even though most have been sent there.
Jobs should be found for them if begging is outlawed nationwide, and poverty reduction programmes should be increased, he said.
Expert suggestions and ideas are expected in the final report, which is to be presented to the Parliamentary Committee on Ways and Means in mid-April