TIRUNELVELI: In a bid to curb the practice of using children for beggary, the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) here carried out a drive in Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai on Monday.Eight women with infants were detained as part of the drive. Tirunelveli is notorious for its practice of hiring children for begging for the last few years. The drive was supported by the Tirunelveli police, who also provided vehicles for transporting the beggars. “Eight women and eight infants were detained during the drive. All of them were lodged for a while in a home where they were offered counselling,” said M Chockalaingam, treasurer, IRCS, Tirunelveli chapter.During the counselling, the detained were assured of employment opportunities if they stopped the practice of begging. The arrested women and infants were released after recording their details.“Most of these beggars are from Kuluvan community and were detained at bus stand, railway station and from near shopping malls,” the IRCS treasurer said. When asked whether the beggars had hired the infants, he said it could not be known immediately. “However, there have been charges that many beggars buy or hire infants from mothers who are financially weak,” he informedChockalaingam also said this was just the first step as more such drives would follow with a view to eradicating beggary.According to a report, children are hired from poor mothers for `100-125 a day. What is worse is that children are sedated so that they remained silent for most part of the day when they were with the hirers. “Apart from the women and infants, six other boys in the age group of 5 to 10 years were also detained on Monday,” Chockalingam added.He further informed that some persons had brought these young boys from Rajasthan and they were found selling watches in important locations in the city. “The child helpline has registered a case as there is a possibility that they might have been hired from Rajasthan,” he said.Chockalaingam informed that the Indian Red Cross Society has a separate Tracing Unit and if needed, the boys would be sent to their homes in Rajasthan.Besides Chockalingam, IRCS Vice-President for Tamil Nadu D A Prabakar, Fr Motcharaj of Saranalayam, Inspector Lakshmi Prabha and District Social Welfare Officer Umadevi were part of the team that carried out the drive.
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