DERA GHAZI KHAN-The begging mafia has been using children and young girls for begging in the busy markets, on pavements, walkways and in front of shops to accumulate money at the cost of the kids’ future and honour.
Child beggars are seen everywhere in the city. The sudden surge in the number of child beggars clearly indicates the presence of a number of groups that have reactivated in the areas. The Nation met with seven-year-old girl at Liaqat Bazaar where she was begging in the getup of injured child. She had bandage on her face and one hand like a burnt patient. Her mother and sister were sitting beside her.
She was very innocent and not aware of her total earning in a day as her mother took the charity money from her after frequent intervals. She was forced to begging on the orders of his mother. A woman on request of anonymity said that she earned Rs400 to Rs500 in a day from one child through begging while she had total five children. She also disclosed that her two sons along with her husband were also busy begging at Saddar Bazaar and Rani Bazaar.
To a question, she replied that as winter started in mountainous area, they left their native mountainous village and came here in the city. Her whole family including men have shifted to the urban areas. The male persons supervise the female and children in the markets for begging.
At Rani Bazaar, another old woman was showing herself as disabled. She said that she earned more than Rs300 everyday and handed over all the money to her sick husband. Apparently, she was looking too much poor and deserving by her getup. A young handsome girl was accompanying her. Talking to The Nation, Kareem Khan, a shopkeeper at Rani Bazaar, revealed that both the women and the young girl and their other relatives were involved in criminal activities like theft, begging and prostitution.
Kareem said that some corrupt shopkeepers who have rooms on the top of their shops gave protection to the beggar women in Rani Bazaar, and in return they enjoyed sex. He said that apathy of Punjab police was responsible for it. He demanded that the DPO should conduct crackdown on these beggars in markets.