Submit your comments on this article | ||
Europe | ||
Belgium Plan to combat problem of mother, child beggars | ||
2006-03-15 | ||
Federal Social Integration Minister Christian Dupont has announced plans to combat the problem of mothers and children begging on Belgian city streets. The announcement was welcomed by Socialist SP.A MP Dalila Douifi, who has raised concerns about the issue. Distressing scenes of mothers seen begging with babies in their arms — particularly during the past few days of freezing cold — have sparked renewed concerns. Research indicates that these babies face enormous health risks and they are often given too much cough syrup. International law bans exposing children to extreme circumstances, such as cold weather.
Dupont subsequently announced on Tuesday that he will deploy 12 intercultural mediators to approach the beggars. "The intercultural aspect is not unimportant. For example, the Roma do not always want to be helped. That is part of their culture," Douifi said.
The mediators will be deployed in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Liège and Charleroi. Douifi also said there have been positive developments in Antwerp, where city authorities demand that school age children actually attend school. When the children start attending school, their parents are then granted social security. "The problem is very complex: often it is a combination of repressive, preventative and remedial approach that is necessary. The measures from Minister Dupont are the start of a solution," Douifi said. The Socialist SP.A minister also stressed that using children for the purposes of begging is a criminally prosecutable offence. | ||
Posted by:lotp |
#8 Wish it were, Steve. |
Posted by: lotp 2006-03-15 21:49 |
#7 Please, please tell me this is Scrappleface or The Onion ... |
Posted by: Steve White 2006-03-15 18:29 |
#6 Don't forget the ONLY person to be convicted in Spain for the Madrid bombing is a 16 year old Gypsy kid who was basically just a mule for the True Believers(tm). |
Posted by: Seafarious 2006-03-15 15:31 |
#5 Dupont subsequently announced on Tuesday that he will deploy 12 intercultural mediators to approach the beggars. 1) They actually have such a job description and people who do this for a living? 2) If they are only deploying twelve, how big a problem can this be? 3) The beggars aren't native Belgiums? 4) What happened to their welfare checks? |
Posted by: DoDo 2006-03-15 15:11 |
#4 I think the kids have a bigger problem than that if their parents are using them for begging in the middle of a Euro welfare state. The cough syrup (if it is indeed codeine based - are those easy to get in Belgium? they're prescription-only in the States) and the cold are only the visible indicators of a deeper problem here. |
Posted by: lotp 2006-03-15 15:05 |
#3 If the story is accurate, yes, of course. Hypothermia + opiate overdose. |
Posted by: Grunter 2006-03-15 15:01 |
#2 So Grunter, does that mean that "overuse of cough syrup" is indeed a problem? |
Posted by: Criger Crineck9210 2006-03-15 14:47 |
#1 The cough syrup would contain codeine and probably antihistamines for a powerful sedative effect- resulting in a dramatically floppy baby to wave around. In other words, serious and possibly fatal child abuse. |
Posted by: Grunter 2006-03-15 14:33 |