Social Affairs Minister asserts need to cooperate with civil society to address child begging

Minister of Social Affairs Rema Qadri has underscored the importance of cooperation between civil society and the ministry to protect child beggars through taking care of children and addressing the causes of begging. 

She told reporters after her yesterday’s visit to a rehabilitation center for child beggars in Damascus that it is essential to hold workshops to train children in the center and not to shelter them only.

In 2014, the ‘Sayyar’ initiative was launched to take care of child beggars and to teach them in cooperation with the ‘Mobadderon’ group [entrepreneurs] and the Syria Trust for Development, which offered a building to receive 45 child beggars.

“The children practice activities and learn reading and writing and a simple hand crafts that would help them gain the income they need,” Ahmad Abdo al-Moati from the initiative of ‘Sayyar’said.

On her part, Lama al-Nahhas from the ‘Mobadderon’ group referred to a new project for establishing a rehabilitation center to receive children for a few days before sending them to the suitable centers to guide them to be far away from begging.

Last month, Ministry of Social Affairs has completed a document on protecting children in Syria in coordination with Ministries of Justice, Interior and Education.

The document, approved by the cabinet, contains details about how to protect children from the recruitment in hostilities, sexual and physical abuse and begging as well as school dropout.

It comes within the framework of efforts being exerted to protect children in accordance with the national legislations and training programs.

http://syriatimes.sy/index.php/culturt/21981-syrian-child-protection-document-approved

Basma Qaddour