KOCHI: It was a hard and traumatic experience for Mannimuzhi, a 12-year-old girl who was rescued from a house in Chavakkad last year. She became a victim of the beggar mafia in Tamil Nadu very early on. Recollecting the horror, she says, “I would be tortured every day. We would not be given anything to eat until we begged. If the money fell short, we would be beaten up badly.”Later at the age of 10, Mannimuzhi was brought to Kerala and again forced to beg on the roads After one year she was sold to a house owner in Chavakkad who tortured her badly and even sexually harassed her repeatedly. Her ordeal ended only when an NGO, Shehalayam led by social activist P J Peter rescued her to a rehabilitation centre in Kochi last year.In Kerala, the children are abducted and bought from other states like Andhra Pardesh, Orissa and West Bengal to the city. Most of the victims are between the ages of two and eight years. More than 500 such children land up in the state from different parts of the country each year.The abducted children are frequently kept hungry, making their condition bad enough for passers-by to feel sympathetic and dole out money. They are also trained in begging techniques. Says Amal Raj, a researcher in Jawaharlal Nehru University who has conducted a study on child begging in the state.“They are taught the most appropriate place to go and beg, the kind of people they should approach, what to say and how, so as to evoke sympathy.”Social activist P J Peter states that the beggar mafia is a huge industry, one that always manages to go scot-free. “On an average, a beggar earns upto Rs 500- 1000 daily. But that money is snatched away by the mafia. The government and corporation don’t have a proper solution yet to rehabilitate the children, hence they invariably return to the mafia even if we rescue them.”He also points at the lack of will shown by the authorities in bringing the culprits to book.“Neither the police nor the Corporation has taken any action in this regard. The High Court has banned beggary in the state and directed the police to initiate a strict vigil. It has also asked for the traffickers to be nabbed and punished. However, the beggars and mafia have been active in the city, with their numbers rising each day. The corporation has also been silent on the issue,” says P J Peter.The nodal officer in-charge of such cases stated that the police have been active in curbing beggary. “We have registered five cases this year and are tracking several people in this regard,” he said. City Police Commissioner M R Ajith Kumar said that the number of beggars was less now compared to the last few years. “The police take action whenever any beggars are found in the streets,” he said.Kochi Mayor Tommy Chammany, on the other hand, agreed that the menace has been on the rise, with an increase in the number of child beggars. “The Police are the ones who have to initiate action. The rehabilitation centres are over-crowded and more children cannot be accommodated. We will discuss the matter with the District Collector and take action in this regard soon,” Tommy Chammany said.
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