Dr. Navneet Kaur
Begging is still a crime in most states of India. Yet we have so many beggars in our City of Temples , on streets, near the premises of the temples , on the National Highway , traffic lights near the Waves Cinema, at market places especially at Gole Market near the eat joints like Pahalwan and adjoining food shops in that vicinity. We see small children who are under the age of one year in their mothers arms in sedation right from the morning till late evenings . We mostly see young handicapped men , women and small boys and girls on the traffic lights who are unable to walk properly or are mostly blind, it looks as if they all are destitute and homeless. But the irony of all this is that early morning their contractors come and drop them at different spots and pick them when these markets close. Many are routinely rounded up and imprisoned or put to work – some on construction sites.
“People beg on the streets not because they wish to, but because they need to. There is definitely something suspicious here which is a bigger network behind the scenes. We know that begging is their last resort to subsistence .
Just few years ago , I as a Social and Human Rights Activist received a call from the police station (sources Railway Protection Force )informing me that there were 4 young children aged between 4 years to 9 years , that had been found on the train during a raid. They were victims of enforced disappearances that is rife in our country.
Inspite of our best efforts, we were able to only locate one child’s parents who was a resident of Hyderabad- a child of IT Professionals. It’s a scene, which has been etched in my memory indelibly and with intense emotion!
Today, at every traffic light, I look at children and wonder. I look at every begging woman with perpetually sleeping infants and wonder, are some parents suffering from the enforced disappearance of their children! The tragedy of this heinous crime against humanity is, that our country has not been able to evolve a system where the regulatory authorities have a tie-up with NGOs/Social organisations in every city and these cells receive information of missing children all over the country.
Only when we have an organised system at National level to look into children employed from begging to working in various businesses. Can we stop this crime of forced disappearances?
I as a Social and Human Rights activist is still searching for answers: The immense Human Rights work is still to be done in face of enforced disappearance . People look for their families for their whole lives. It is so tragic when our loved ones go missing. As a result the family is always in their search running from pillar to posts . This horrific violation happens alongside abuses of torture, coerced confessions, sexual assault and murder; and exacts untold torment upon its victims and survivors. Let us not encourage begging as a profession in the prevailing society.
Some people genuinely can’t help that they were born in abject poverty or with a disability. Poverty is a big problem and there are not as many options for people with disabilities or adequate employment to earn money. Moreover, these people are considered as untouchables or racially inferior and no one wants to employ them.
I feel It takes guts to suppress all sense of one’s pride and dignity and put their life in someone else’s hands, depending on mearly handouts and being looked upon as scum of the earth.
It is not only in my city Jammu but in India, that the government is taking no action to remove the begging practice but our system does not have a strong and clear format to remove it by the root level. I would request the LG, Manoj Sinha along with the administration to take strict action against this crime on streets and go for proper investigation with the help of the NGOs and organisations to bring in change in the society for the best.
(The author is Founder Chairperson NGO SUPPORT)
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