Punjab ramps up efforts to save child beggars

CPWB introduces stricter process for parents seeking to regain custody of rescued children

LAHORE:

As it intensifies the operation to rescue children forced into begging, the Punjab Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) has also tightened the procedure for returning children taken in during the process.

At present, CPWB teams have been active across all cities in the province to save children from a life of begging, senior officials said. Since lockdowns enforced to contain the novel coronavirus were lifted, the bureau has rescued around 800 children, they revealed.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, CPWB Chairperson Sarah Ahmed said they have now changed the procedure for returning rescued children to their guardians in a bid to discourage the latter from putting them out to beg again.

“In the past, it wouldn’t take long for any child we rescued from being put out to beg again,” she said. “Their parents or guardians would submit an oath statement to the court promising they wouldn’t send the child out to beg again in order to regain custody. But a few days later, the same child would be seen begging again.”

“To discourage this practice, we have now made the procedure much more strict,” she added.

“In order to regain custody, parents will have to produce the child’s birth certificate and Form B. If the parents are no longer together or if one of them has passed away, the parent seeking the child’s custody will also have to produced a divorce certificate or death certificate issued by NADRA.”

This is only the first step, however, Sarah pointed out. “These documents will have to be produced by the parent in the first custody hearing. Since it may take time for parents to arrange these documents, the first hearing would take place 10 to 15 days after rescue,” she said. “The child’s custody would only be granted in the second hearing, which would take another three to four weeks,” she added.

Through these measure, the CPWB chairperson hoped to prevent rescued children from falling into the wrong hands. “Many of the children we rescued were begging at the behest of a relative or a group.

Their parents were not even aware their child had been put to do this,” she said. “There have also been cases where the parents are estranged and one of them used the old procedure to their advantage to gain custody,” she added.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2020.