Stop giving money to child beggars – Deputy Gender Minister

The Deputy Minister for Gender, Women and Social Protection, Lariba Zuweira Abudu, has cautioned the public against alms giving to child beggars.

According to her, the Ministry has information that a number of child beggars loitering the street are part of a trafficking syndicate.

The children are reported to have been trafficked from the Sahelian region by an unnamed woman who drives the children to various streets in Accra to beg for alms every morning, picking them at night to take monies generated by the children.

The Deputy Minister disclosed this during a Parliamentary Roundtable Discussion on Human Trafficking in Ghana, by the Mpraeso MP, Davis Opoku in collaboration with the International Justice Mission.

Mrs. Abudu noted that when the public stops giving, it will cut the income accrued by these children thereby sending a signal to the traffickers that the business is no longer lucrative.

Other  members of Parliament present included Davis Opoku Ansah —Mpraeso, Darkoa Newman — Okaikoi Central, Paul Twum Barimah — Dormaa East, Charles Acheampong —Lower West Akim, among others shared their views on how disruptive trafficking had become in various constituencies of the country.

The International Justice Mission and the Gender Ministry however assures the general public about its commitment to drastically reduce human trafficking in Ghana, especially across the Volta lake.