Rising begging

Letter December 29, 2022
Rising begging

KARACHI:

According to Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), five to twenty-five million beggars are found in Pakistan, which is approximately 2.5 %to 11% of the total population. 1.2 million children are estimated to have been on the streets of major urban cities in the country. As per the law, beggary is illegal in Pakistan. Beggars can face up to three years of imprisonment and parents whose children are begging can also be arrested and jailed for three years.

Poor implementation of the laws and police accepting bribes from beggar mafias has allowed the practice to continue unabated. At times, people are forced to resort to begging due to abject poverty, high inflation, and unemployment. The government’s failure to facilitate the poorer segments of society has made the poor more vulnerable to beggar mafias and traffickers. The beggars often cause a nuisance on the streets or localities and people respond to them aggressively, which creates an unpleasant situation. People should be more considerate and offer money or food to beggars.

More importantly, the government must step in to curb the issue by tightening rules and ensuring rigorous implementation of the law. The police must not accept bribes from beggars or mafias and instead arrest them. The relevant authorities should launch a rehabilitation programme for beggars, particularly children who should be offered education. The beggars must be reintegrated back into society and provided employment. The government must offer social or welfare support to the poorer segments so that people do not have to turn to beggary or other illegal activities and can live a dignified life.

Mehak Ali

Guddu

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29th, 2022.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.