By Mustapha Jarju
Lamin K Fatty, the Executive Director of the Gambia Federation of the Disabled (GFD) recently cautioned parents that are using their children with disabilities to desist from using them to beg for alms on the streets.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Voice newspaper, he said “We are warning parents to put a stop to that, it is against the rights of humanity, and against the law.
“The police as a legal enforcement officer should intervene, we sensitize and advocate for people not to be using kids for street begging, that’s what the federation does.”
He stressed that it is very common seeing some parents of persons with disabilities use their kids for begging and this is mainly common in the Kombo but now extended to the rural communities.
“The Federation is aware of this, the government, and even the parents that are doing this we had engaged them over this issue. We counseled them, few stopped it but some are still doing it, because of the monetary gain that they are having from it,” Fatty stated.
He emphasised that using them to beg for alms is against the rights of the children because it is a form of exploitation that the government should combat and regulate it.
Mr. Fatty further said sending these children to school is the most important thing and the best way to create a livelihood for them, rather than using poverty as an excuse to use the kids for begging.
