Senegal’s President Macky Sall says he will send to jail the parents of child beggars to end the old phenomenon.
On his Twitter account, President Sall wrote: “For the protection of the rights of children and vulnerable groups, I have ordered the withdrawal of emergency of the #EducationSenegal street children
Pour la protection des Droits des enfants et groupes vulnérables, j'ai ordonné le retrait d'urgence des enfants des rues #EducationSenegal
— Macky Sall (@Macky_Sall) July 1, 2016
Child welfare advocates and regional grouping Ecowas have applauded the President’s decision to order the removal of all child beggars off the streets.
Since Thursday, 150 beggars have been taken to a children’s centre in Senegal’s capital, Dakar.
Their parents or their koranic teachers have been warned that they could be fined or jailed for up to six months the next time their children are caught on the streets.
Mmany religious leaders and koranic school teachers have resisted a similar ban in the past arguing that begging is a way of teaching humility to koranic school students.
There is no reliable figure on the number of child beggars in the country, but they could be as many as half a million, spread across the country. Reports Africa review
