The exposure of children to the dangers of the street by their parents in encouraging them to engage in street begging has deeply concerned the Gambia’s second most senior immigration officer, and she has issued a strong call for multi-sectorial collaboration to end it.
The Deputy Director General (DDG) of the Gambia Immigration Department (GID), Madam Hulay Jallow-Cham, on Thursday received at the GID HQ in Banjul a delegation from the National Organisation for Disables and Orphans.
In her address to the delegation, who were at the GID HQ to discuss with immigration officials the daily challenges of persons with disabilities in accessing immigration services, DDG Jallow-Cham encouraged key actors in the disability domain to play proactive roles in combatting child begging in the streets. She emphasized the need and urgency for cross-sectorial collaboration to end the menace.
According to the deputy immigration chief, she has to always deal with the concerning sight of children begging in the streets on her usual weekend trips to the market. She believes these children are either coerced or encouraged by their parents to beg.
“I think they are putting their kids at risk. Those kids can go to school. You have girls among them. You[ persons with disabilities organizations] can see how you can…The future of the children needs to be protected. We need to have an MoU to work with the organization [National Organisation for Disables and Orphans] to help the street kids,” she underscored.
The Chairman and Secretary-General of National Organisation for Disables and Orphans (NODO), Hon. Lamin Manneh, who led the delegation to the GID HQ, expressed appreciation for the “tenderness” that the deputy immigration chief exhibited towards the welfare of the disabled.
He said an MoU can greatly help in charting a path forward for fruitful collaboration for the improvement of the welfare of persons with disabilities.
Manneh emphasized that “it’s our responsibility, as parents, to protect the rights of children”.
