BEGGING: A CURSE TO OUR SOCIETY

(Salman Agha, )

Poverty and homelessness leads a person to a number of crimes, and street begging is one of them. Currently, begging seems to be the easiest way to earn money as there are at least one or two beggars in every other street. Whether it's a random street, a park, a mosque or any other public place, one will spot a beggar roaming around. According to a survey, 25 million of the total population is currently involved in begging.

CHILD BEGGARS:
Children are the future of a nation but sadly in Pakistan, most of the beggars are under the age of 10 to 15 years. These children are either orphans or begging is their family profession. These child beggars have been trained for this profession. Most of these children are being forced to beg, while they want to go to school like every other child out there. A pen and a notebook is their basic right while these innocent creatures have been given a bowl to gather some chillars. The begging mafia has forced thousands of children into a life of slavery.

BEGGING AND STREET CRIMES:
Sitting in a corner and begging might not cause a lot of harm to the netizens but the alarming part is that, these beggars are involved in street crimes too. They enter a house with an open gate and rob the place within a matter of minutes. Robbery is closely linked to the street beggars. Moreover, these beggars are involved in drugs as well. Including the child beggars.

THE BEGGAR MAFIA:
The beggar mafia is the mastermind of this entire profession. From moving the children to different areas of the city to kidnapping a disabled person, the beggar mafia is doing it all without being investigated. A beggar with a disability gathers more attention, which has led the beggar mafia to harm a completely normal person and leave him with a certain disability. The most disabled one would gather the most money, hence they either break a hand or take an eye out to leave these beggars disabled. The beggar mafia is getting stronger by the passing.

LAW AGAINST THE ISSUE:
Although begging is illegal in Pakistan, the bill is completely un-imposed. The government has been completely neglecting the beggar mafia and its threat for the near future. Even if a beggar gets arrested, it takes a couple of hours for them to get bailed. Moreover, begging creates a very poor image of Pakistan in the world. The increasing rate of begging in Pakistan is nothing but an embarrassment on international platforms. Begging indeed is a curse to our society.

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
In order to prevent this curse, some essential steps must be taken. Such as;
Strict implementation of anti-beggary laws.
Taking action against the beggar mafia
Strong provision to support the disabled.
Quality education and counseling to the child beggars.
Employment for the young beggars.
Providing skill training such as weaving and stitching to female beggars.
Rehabilitation for the ones involved in drugs.
Giving accommodation to the orphans in the form of free housing.

Salman Agha
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