Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A small child with grubby hands thrusting a bunch of flowers at commuters at road crossings is a common sight these days. The child is not there to make a sale, but he is begging and the flowers are just a facade.
According to figures provided by Childline, there has been a more than 100 per cent surge in the number of complaints of child beggars in the city.
The women and child development department officials say they are aware of these tactics. Unfortunately, so far, the WCD has not come up with a concrete plan for the rehabilitation of these child beggars, though officials say that they will chalk out a plan soon. This comes at a time when the district administration and Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) are working towards making Indore a ‘beggar-free’ city. The WCD aims to rescue and rehabilitate child beggars.
“We have received 48 complaints or information of children begging for money or food in the last two months, and we have rescued 27 of them. Last year, the total complaints received were 74, while this year it has already reached 176,” said Rahul Gothane, childline coordinator.
Referring to the problems faced in rescuing the child beggars, he said, “The major problem is that these kids are reluctant to give their names or where they live and often run away when asked these questions. These children are well-trained not to reveal their identities. Also, when our rescue team reaches the spot after receiving a complaint, the child is nowhere in sight,” Rahul added.
“We are coordinating with NGOs and Child Welfare Committee (CWC) to root out the problem. We still have to decide whether or not to send the child beggars to Anganwadis where they will get free food, or to some rehabilitation centre, which unfortunately we do not have,” said Meenakshi Harvansh, CDPO, Zone 7.
Anita Joshi, CDPO, Zone 6 said, “The number of complaints of child beggars is rising, and the department is working on a lasting solution.
WCD's additional director Ramniwas Budheliya said they are aware of the problem and are working on it.
IMC has a plan for adult beggars
The IMC has the plan to rehabilitate adult beggars. They send them to a rehabilitation centre run by the IMC where the beggars are trained in a skill and then they are rehabilitated. However, there is no such plan for child beggars.
