The Montenegrin Women's Lobby called on all institutions and representatives of the civil sector to intensify activities in the field of prevention and suppression of begging, and told citizens to report to the police or social services when they see a child begging.
As they stated in the announcement on the occasion of October 18 - the European Day against Human Trafficking, their two-decade experience in working with victims of violence, of which 13 years working with victims of trafficking, shows that the most frequent victims are women and children (most often sexual, work, economic and emotional exploitation) and children (most often labor exploitation through forced begging and sexual exploitation through arranged child marriages).
"The Montenegrin women's lobby this year and by symbolically distributing flyers during October emphasizes an increasingly visible and present phenomenon in our society, which is begging, especially children of the Roma and Egyptian population," said the executive director of the lobby, Aida Petrović, who is also the coordinator. of the National Shelter for Victims of Human Trafficking.
As she stated, children who beg are exposed to many forms of violence, discrimination, abuse, and their lives and health are threatened.
"Children-beggars ("street children") most often beg because their parents demand it from them due to extreme poverty in Roma communities, or they do it for the so-called bosses, for whom one child a month brings financial profit. Children who beg are denied education, many are denied social and health care, proper growth and development, the acquisition of knowledge and skills necessary for functioning in the family and society," explained Petrović.
She pointed out that these children are not criminals, and they should not be treated as such institutionally, nor in society in general.
"They simply need help, just as their families need help to strengthen themselves, educationally, economically, educationally, and to understand that children do not belong on the street, despite their difficult existential situation," Petrović said.
She said that the whole society should help them in this, above all the institutions and organizations of the civil sector that deal with the protection of children's human rights with concrete measures and actions, especially in the field.
"We appeal to the citizens that, when they see a child begging, do not give him money, but to call the police, the social service or one of the SOS telephone numbers so that the child is removed from the street and returned to his parents or placed in a safe place," she said. Petrović.
According to her, everyone can contribute to prevent the exploitation of begging children in various ways.
"You shouldn't give money to begging children, buy them a muffin, juice, chocolate. Begging is one of the forms of human trafficking and if you give money to a child who is forced to beg, you unwittingly encourage his further exploitation through the process of trafficking," Petrović believes.
As she stated, you should have empathy for children who beg, because they never do it of their own free will, but someone always forces them to do it - parents or organized groups of criminals who reap profits.
"Only with joint efforts can we remove child beggars from the streets, and through the institutions of the system enable every child the right to equality and education as a prerequisite for a quality life and the right to a childhood without violence," concluded Petrović.
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