Kampala, Uganda
Uganda’s capital, last month, passed a law to ban giving money or other items to children begging on the streets. The move, according to officials, is to curb the commercial and sexual exploitation of children. Government statistics cited by BBC show that as many as 15,000 children live on the streets in Kampala, aged from seven up to the age of 17. Reports say that most of these children were trafficked from villages and forced to live in small rooms in slums. The recent law will, therefore, ban the rental of apartments to support sex work, petty trade and begging by children. Parents of children found begging or selling on the streets will not be spared. Offenders face up to six months in prison or a fine of $11.
