Andhra Pradesh temples become hub for child begging

KURNOOL:  With prosperous temples like Srisailam, Ahobilam, Mahanandi, and Mantralayam, Kurnool district is witnessing high incidence of child begging. Srisailam temple town has become a hub for children working as beggars.

So much so, it has caught the attention of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), which has sought a special drive to eradicate child begging in front of temples in the district.

NCPCR member secretary Rupali Banerjee Singh held a virtual meeting with district officials, including those of Integrated Child Development Services. She asked them to take up a targeted drive at temples like Srisailam to rescue children forced into begging.

ICDS project director Bhagya Rekha, in a statement, said NCPCR directives will be followed to stem the rot of child begging in an around temples.

Street children in the district and child abuse are a perennial problem in Kurnool district, said David Raj, a volunteer. Once in a while, Operation Muskaan is held and a few hundred children rescued. But once the drive is over, no one monitors what is happening to these children, he pointed out.

Rescuing children has become a big opportunity for stakeholders in the system, said Bheemanna, another volunteer. He felt Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), Sessions Judge and Child Welfare Committees (CWC) are working at cross purposes. There is a systemic failure in functioning of CWC members, as their very constitution and selection of their members is flawed.

Those who have no genuine interest in protecting the lives of rescued children, are not on these committees, Bheemanna stated.