SHC directs police to initiate crackdown against mafia involved in child beggary

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed police to initiate a crackdown against the mafia involved in beggary of children.

The direction came on a petition seeking the implementation of the Sindh Child Protection Authority law in the province to protect the child rights. Petitioner Natasha Lakhani had submitted that thousands of street children were roaming in the city and several were being used in criminal activities, begging and other anti-social activities.

The high court had on a previous hearing directed a provincial law officer to call a report from the police department that included details of action taken against the mafia involved in the beggary of children as the social welfare department had submitted that various cases had been lodged against such culprits.

Police officials filed reports before the court with regard to the registration of FIRs against persons involved in the beggary of children and submitted that they were making all possible efforts to curb the menace of beggary of children.

A division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar observed that culprits involved in children beggary must be punished so that it would set an example in society. The high court observed that a crackdown should be initiated against persons involved in child beggary.

The counsel for the petitioner submitted that he would come up with a viable proposal to be implemented under the umbrella of the prevailing law for the rehabilitation of children involved in the beggary. The bench directed the child protection authority to submit a progress report by March 2.

The Sindh Child Protection Authority director general had earlier submitted that as many as 92 complaints had been forwarded to the police department in different districts for lodging FIRs. He had also submitted that a shelter home for street children was being constructed on 10 acres in Korangi wherein at least 300 such children would be accommodated.

The SHC was also informed that another building was being constructed in Malir where at least 100 children would be accommodated, while three similar institutions had already been running in Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur.