Africa-Press – Gambia. The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Welfare Hon. Fatou Kinteh has told lawmakers that her ministry is rolling out a national plan to tackle the persistent problem of children begging in the streets, describing it as a “big concern” that demands urgent action and collective support.
Appearing before the National Assembly on Wednesday, Minister Kinteh explained that a comprehensive nationwide assessment would be launched to map out conditions in Quranic boarding schools (majalis) and other places where many children living on the streets come from. She confirmed that the ministry had already shortlisted institutions to carry out the survey and expects the exercise to start immediately after final approval next week.
“We strongly feel that children have two places home and school. They should not be in the streets,” the Minister told lawmakers, adding that the goal was to understand why parents allowed children to beg and to find practical ways to keep them at home or in school.
The Minister said the project would cover all border towns and affected areas, including Jarra Soma, Farafenni and Amdalaie, where begging is common. She cited recent incidents including a fire outbreak and a disease outbreak at two majalis that highlighted the urgent need to protect vulnerable children.
Minister Kinteh confirmed that her ministry was working closely with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and UNICEF, with support from other partners, to design a programme that would go beyond just gathering data. The plan aims to address the root causes that push children onto the streets, with solutions to involve parents, community leaders, religious heads, security forces, and local councils.
She stressed that any serious crackdown would need buy-in from the National Assembly, families and local communities, and called for collective commitment to make it work. “We want to know where these children come from, why they are on the streets, and what we can do together to remove them and keep them safe,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Minister also updated members on the delay in auditing the Women’s Enterprise Fund, blaming it on recruitment freezes and the expiration of the Fund’s board term. A new board has now been approved by the Office of the President and will be inaugurated next week, paving the way for an external audit by the National Audit Office.
The minister assured the Assembly that despite the delays, loan disbursements and recoveries under the Women’s Enterprise Fund were continuing as planned.
The nationwide assessment on child street begging is expected to begin this month, with the final plan to be shaped by its findings and rolled out with UNICEF’s initial support and further donor funding.
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