VASCO
Vasco-based NGO ARZ on Monday requested the State government to immediately rescue street children as they are prone to violence and sexual abuse.
Speaking to reporters, NGO ARZ co-founder Arun Pandey also said strict action including arrest must be initiated to tackle the rising menace of begging in Vasco.
Pandey said many children were being trafficked for begging and they had worked on children begging cases in Goa where kingpins operated from Karnataka and survived by forcing children to beg around Goa.
"There are clear laws to act on beggary based on the model of Bombay Beggary Prevention Act 1959 and in this law, begging is a crime. We also have the Juvenile Justice Act and Goa Children’s Act which states that it is a crime to use children for begging activity.”
“Goa is a vulnerable place and a big market for beggary and hence, people either voluntarily adopt begging or be trafficked for begging activity.”
Pandey said the ARZ had recently conducted a study with students of Salgaonkar law college to gauge the safety of people living on the streets.
“In Vasco, we see male, female and children beggars living together near various locations and we found that none of these locations has CCTV cameras installed and there are difficult chances to find out the incidents of violence and crime and trace the people responsible," said Pandey
"It is very important that such acts be prevented and if we notice children begging, they have to be immediately rescued and investigations have to be conducted whether they are children of the beggars living with them or whether the children have been trafficked.”
“As far as adult beggars are concerned, it requires strict action against them including arresting in case they are habituated and rehabilitated in case they are physically or mentally disabled," added Pandey.
