Sindh government bans child begging as numbers reach record levels

In this file photo, a boy gestures as he begs while sitting along a sidewalk in Karachi Oct. 17, 2012. (AP)

• Between 1.2 and 1.5mn estimated to be panhandling in all major cities of Pakistan
• More than 90% are victims of sexual exploitation, rights activists say

KARACHI: In an attempt to do away with the issue of child begging, the Sindh government on Wednesday said that it would take into custody all panhandlers who were found indulging in the activity at traffic signals, even as activists called for comprehensive measures to protect minors and take them off the streets.
Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, on Tuesday, imposed a ban on the practice, directing the province’s Social Welfare Department (SWD) to arrest any children found begging on the streets and place them in the care of rehabilitation centers.
Shah also directed administrative authorities and the police to support the SWD in the drive, so that child mendicants can have a second chance at life and work toward becoming “useful citizens of the country”.
While there is no official data available to ascertain the actual number of children begging on the streets for a living, various estimates place the figure between 1.2 to 1.5 million. “An estimated 1.2 to 1.5 million children are on the streets of Pakistan’s major cities and urban centers, constituting the country’s largest and most ostracized social group. These include ‘runaway’ children who live or work on the street, as well as the minority that returns to their families at the end of the day with their meager earnings,” a statement released by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC), said.
Child rights’ activists claim that thousands of children are forced into panhandling due to harsh circumstances. “There are 30,000 children begging on 974 traffic signals in the port city of Karachi alone,” Rana Asif Habib, President of Initiator Human Development Foundation, told Arab News. 
“Domestic violence, unemployment, natural disasters, and poverty are considered the major factors for an increase in the number of street children. Other factors include unprecedented global industrialization, unplanned and rapid urbanization, family disintegration and lack of education,” the statement from SPARC said.
In order to work toward protecting children, the Sindh Assembly passed the Child Protection Authority Act-2011 which introduced special measures and included the establishment of rehabilitation centers in the province. “Establishment of child protection units by the Sindh government is part of a mechanism to strengthen gate-keeping at the local level by introducing a single point of contact for families and children who need support,” a statement by the SWD said.
Child rights’ activists censured the delay in the construction of the child protection units, asking for more concrete measures to be in place. “Construction was started back in 2010 but still not completed. Every year the budget allocated for this purpose lapses. Last year, Rs 200 million was not utilized and this goes on for years,” Kashif Bajeer, Provincial Coordinator Child Rights Movement Sindh, told Arab News. 
However, Chief Minister Shah said that he has been apprised of the situation, adding that the construction was in its final stages and would be completed soon.
Habib added that due to government apathy, a majority of the street children are subjected to sexual exploitation, too. “More than 90 percent of children on streets are victims of sexual exploitation,” he said.