MAHABUBABAD: AT a time when children of their age group are attending schools and enjoying their childhood, Chenchu children are forced to beg in front of temples by their parents, in Kurvi mandal of the district, this came to a stop only when Warangal Child Welfare Committee members came to there rescue.
As many as 25 children were rescued on Saturday and alternative arrangements are being made by the committee members to send them to school. How did the begging mafia come to light? According to one of the committee members, a good samaritan who noticed these children begging on the streets almost everyday brought it to their notice.
Interestingly, though the locals and district officials knew that the children were begging in front of the Kurvi temple from a long time, they did not stop. Sources claimed that parents of most of these children were alcoholic and in order to buy liquor they forced their children to beg and earn.
“As soon as we got the information that a few children were begging, we formed our team and visited the temple. We found the children begging. We approached them and enquired about their background and came to know that their parents were forcing them to beg. We immediately contacted the local police,” Warangal Child Welfare Committee chairperson Mandala Parashuramulu told Express. According to him, the parents of these children also beg to earn a livelihood. “We counselled the parents and convinced them to send their children to school,” he said.
“We have admitted 12 of them to a government school and 13 of them will be sent to Tribal welfare residential school on Monday,” he said. In order to ensure that these children attend the school regularly, the committee members have asked the local police to keep a check on them.”
“A warning has been given to the parents asking them not to force their kids to discontinue studies and if they do so, strict action will be taken against them,” Parashuramulu said.
Who are Chenchus
Chenchus are Adivasis, a designated Scheduled Tribe, found in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Odisha. They are an aboriginal tribe whose traditional way of life has been based on hunting and gathering.