Guwahati's Endless Cycle: Rescued Child Beggars Return to Streets
Despite continuous rescue operations targeting child begging across Guwahati, the city continues to witness minors weaving through traffic and stretching out their hands for alms at busy junctions. The Child Welfare Committee, the statutory authority responsible for protecting vulnerable children, admits that their rehabilitation efforts face significant challenges as many rescued children quickly return to begging.
Organized Rackets and Documentation Hurdles
The committee suspects that organized rackets may be operating behind certain cases of child begging, complicating protection efforts. According to official data from the social welfare department, Guwahati has approximately 1,000 child beggars, though this number constantly changes as children arrive from states including Rajasthan, Jharkhand, and Bihar, along with neighboring districts like Kamrup, Morigaon, and Barpeta.
CWC chairperson Tarun Chutia explained that restoring children to their families often becomes problematic. Parents are required to produce documents such as Aadhaar cards and birth certificates to establish biological relationships, but many arrive agitated and demand immediate custody without proper documentation. "Some parents arrive agitated and demand immediate custody, creating commotion. At times, we are left with no option but to hand the child over," Chutia revealed.
Even when parents come prepared with documents, many allegedly push the children back into begging, while others completely avoid the identification process, leaving minors stranded in shelter homes indefinitely.
Systemic Failures and Limited Resources
The rehabilitation process faces multiple systemic failures, beginning with verification challenges. When asked about using rapid DNA tests to confirm biological relationships, officials clarified that DNA testing is not routinely conducted and is generally reserved for more serious cases, particularly those involving Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act violations.
Follow-up monitoring after restoration represents another critical gap. The district child protection unit is supposed to conduct home visits and prepare social reports to ensure the child's welfare, but severe manpower shortages and overwhelming caseloads make this nearly impossible. "Often even the information given by guardians is incorrect, leading to confusion and hampering the process," Chutia added.
The structural limitations extend to the committees themselves. While Section 27 of the Juvenile Justice Act of 2015 mandates that each district should have multiple Child Welfare Committees based on population and caseload, Assam maintains only one CWC per district, leaving committee members completely overwhelmed with cases.
Officials emphasize that expanding the number of CWCs is absolutely critical for effective functioning and preventing children from slipping back into exploitation and begging cycles. Without adequate resources and systemic support, the cycle of rescue and return continues to trap Guwahati's most vulnerable children.
