Bright Appiah, the Executive Director of Child Rights International, has urged security agencies to move beyond just evacuating children from the streets and begin prosecuting adults who exploit children for begging. His remarks come in the wake of the recent arrest of over 2,000 street children and their guardians during a significant operation aimed at addressing the increasing problem of streetism.
In an interview on Channel One Newsroom on May 16, he lauded the crackdown but emphasised that arrests alone are not enough. According to him, legal measures must be used to hold accountable those who put children on the streets. He urged authorities to prioritise child protection in the ongoing effort to address streetism, stressing that sustainable impact will come from enforcing laws and strengthening institutional collaboration.
“There are areas that the state can involve prosecution because when you look at the Beggars Act, it calls for prosecution of those who would engage the child to beg on the street or those who will find themselves begging on the street. If you are begging as an adult, the state can also institute a prosecution action against you. “The state can also look at the role that you play in allowing a child to engage in begging. These are the options available for the state to engage in,” he said.
