School children are rented for street begging business - Security Expert reveals

Security Expert Richard Kumadoe has disclosed that as an expert in handling cases of human trafficking, he has come across cases where syndicates hired children from nursery schools to engage them in the begging business on the streets.

He shared this chilling account in an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show when he said: “I have worked within the human trafficking arena before and it is something that they usually do and I am aware of what they do. Right from people adopting people and beggars on the streets; all these are part of those syndicates.

Sometimes when parents take their kids to the school, these kids are rented for the begging business by the roadside. When people want to adopt too, they also liaise with some of these people”.

According to him, the issue of baby-selling syndicates exists in the country because of at least certain five factors.

“One cause of this is the social welfare system which is not streamlined. Number two is poor supervisory and regulatory regime in our hospitals or places of giving birth and number three is the nonattendance of family units at the point of giving birth. Number four is non-punishing of crimes or laxity in investigations in this issue from law enforcement point of view. Then, number five is the justice system that doesn’t really address some of these issues”, he told Samuel Eshun.

An alleged baby-selling syndicate has once again been busted through the thorough investigations of the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) together with the Medical and Dental Council.

This comes barely three months ago, when 11 persons which include two doctors, four nurses, two mothers, two social welfare officers, and a traditional birth attendant were arrested for baby harvesting.

The recent case of baby selling syndicate is said to involve two women who had allegedly gone to purchase a baby from Susan Clinic located at Lartebiorkorshie in Accra.

The women identified as Florence Acquah and Eleanor Ofori Nsiah together with the one Dr. Hope Quarshie Mensah of Susan Clinic were all arrested.

Subsequently, Dr. Noah Kofi and Nancy Obaayaa Lartey who were also engaged in baby harvesting at the Tema General Hospital have been arrested and are currently on EOCO enquiry bail.

What the law says on Children begging on the streets

Under the Beggars and Destitutes Act 1969 (NLCD 392), section 2(1) , any person found begging and any person wandering or placing himself in any premises or place for the purpose of begging may be arrested by a police officer without warrant and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty new cedis or to imprisonment not exceeding three months or to both.

Section 2(3) provides that the offence shall not apply to a juvenile, nor to a collector duly authorised under the provisions of the Public Collections Act, 1961 (Act 59) or to any collection or person to which or to whom section 5 of that Act applies.

Meanwhile, The Children’s Act 1988 (Act 560), section 18(g) states that a child is in need of care and protection if the child is begging or receiving alms, whether or not there is any pretence of singing, playing, performing, offering anything for sale or otherwise, or is found in any street, premises or place for the purpose of begging or receiving alms.

Section 19 requires the Social Welfare and Community Development Department of a District Assembly to investigate if it has reasonable grounds to suspect that a child is in need of care and protection, to direct the matter to a Child Panel or remove the child to a place of safety for not more than seven days and the child’s case must be brought before a Family Tribunal before the expiry of that period for an order to be made about the child’s welfare and protection.