KARACHI:
My heart cries tears of blood whenever I see a child begging on the street. There are 1.2 million beggar children across major cities of Pakistan. The begging culture of the country is not as simple as it seems; in fact, there is a whole mafia behind it. People actively stalk for an opportunity of taking advantage of vulnerable children. In most cases a child is abducted at a young age, abused and mutilated, before being forced onto the streets to beg. They are constantly subjected to mental and physical torture, yet they are seen begging with a wide smile on their face.
I urge the authorities to initiate a crackdown on such mafias and bring an end to this nuisance once and for all. Furthermore, there needs to be a beggar recovery programme where able-bodied beggars are taught skills through rehabilitation camps that can enable them to work.
Zeenat Saleem
Lahore
Published in The Express Tribune, February 19th, 2021.
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