LAHORE: The Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB), Lahore, on Thursday, launched an anti-begging campaign in the provincial capital and took 54 children into custody.
According to a spokesman for the CPWB, on the direction of CPWB Chairperson Saba Sadiq, special teams have been formed to take action against runaway children. The teams raided different localities of the city including Shaukat Khanum Chowk, Campus Bridge, Barkat Market, Moon Market, Kareem Block Market, Main Market Gulberg, Defence Mor, Y-Block, H-Block, MM Alam Road, Johar Town, Mini Market, Liberty Market, Defence Morh, The Mall and Model Town.
Some 45 boys including nine girls of ages between 5 to 14 years were found begging on the roads. On the orders of Child Protection Court, these children have been shifted to the Child Protection Bureau and the teams have been trying to contact their parents.
The grand operation has also been started in other five cities of Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Sialkot and Gujranwala and took 214 children into custody.