2,000 kids involved in begging in Bhopal

The Times of India: Bhopal: Monday, November 05, 2012.

There are more than 2,000 child beggars in the slums of the state capital, if one goes by a survey non-profit organization Hifazat, which works for child protection. As per the sampling survey done around six select temples by Hifazat, a total of 187 children are involved in begging activities around those temples.

Rekha Shridhar, coordinator of the organization said, "Earlier this year, we had moved an RTI application to the social justice and the women and child development departments to access the data on child beggars. We came to know that none of the departments had any data pertaining to the children. It was after this, in April-May we undertook the survey."

She said each temple surveyed is surrounded by five to six slums pockets in Bhopal with all the six temples surrounded by 36 slums. According to the Bhopal Municipal Corporation records, there are 380 slums in Bhopal having 1,900 children.

However, referring to a study by Oxfam, she said, "The data is an average one taken from the sampling survey. There are more 2,000 children involved in begging activities as there are 543 slums in Bhopal as per Oxfam study." Oxfam is an international confederation of 17 organizations focusing on poverty in more than 90 countries worldwide.

"Hifazat also undertook another survey on children in need of care and protection. The survey revealed that there are 948 child beggars. This data has been given to the district protection officer in charge of the survey by the women and child development (WCD) department," she added.

Even though the state had enacted a legislation to control begging way back in 1973 and had established two beggars' homes in Indore and Ujjain, the structures are dilapidated, she said. Highlighting poverty as the main reason behind begging, she hinted that professional gangs are operational in the city running begging racket.

"People are not born beggars. They are victims of lack of employment opportunities in rural and urban areas. Children, especially, disabled one, are the most vulnerable one," she added.

In March this year, Childline, an NGO, and WCD had busted a racket which exploited deaf and dumb children for begging at Niranjanpur slum area of Indore.

Deputy director of WCD and in charge of the state Integrated Child Protection scheme (ICPS) Alok Sharma told TOI, "Begging is undertaken not just by children but also by families. Hence social justice would be responsible for the same under the Madhya Pradesh Bikshavirty Nivaran Adhiniyam, 1973. Those children who are completely destitute would be taken care of by the WCD department."