Punjab ramps up efforts to save child beggars
As the operation to rescue children forced into begging intensifies, Lahore police have decided to coordinate with Punjab Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) and Punjab Social Welfare Department to rehabilitate the minors during the process.
The police department, Punjab CPWB and social welfare department formed six special teams to initiate crackdown against professional and criminal record holder beggars as part of efforts to rid the provincial capital from the issue of child beggary.
A meeting was held on Saturday, under the chairpersonship of Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar at his office.
Read CTP gears up operation against beggars
Punjab CPWB Chairperson Sara Ahmad, officers of social welfare department, DIG Operations Sohail Chaudhry, Lahore CTO Muntazir Mehdi, SSP Discipline Milubasher Maken and other officers attended the meeting.
The personnel of traffic police and CIA will also assist these special teams to curb professional beggary and organised criminal gangs feigned as beggars. The CCPO said the children involved in begging will be handed over to the child protection and welfare bureau whereas addict beggars will be sent to Punjab government’s beggars’ homes for rehabilitation purpose.
The CCPO further said that FIRs will be registered against the habitual and professional beggars feigning as differently-abled persons. Police will start campaign along with traffic police to remove beggars from traffic signals, busy roads as well as squares to ensure smooth traffic flow.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 12th, 2021.