In a city like Jakarta, there are few things more difficult and heartbreaking for some people than saying no to child beggars. But two recent arrests in the satellite city of Depok illustrates one of the many reasons why child welfare activists urge people not to give them money – because in many cases the children are being forced to beg in order to earn money for criminals.
The Depok Satpol PP (Civil Service Police) arrested two men and secured several children alleged to be involved in a child begging operation along major roads in Depok City.
The two men were identified by police as 54-year-old Surti and 53-year-old Supriyati. The pair were arrested on Sunday at around 2 am at different locations.
“Each of them organizing 4 children to beg, so in total we secured 8 beggars and the two coordinators,” Depok Satpol PP chief Yayan Arianto told Warta Kota today.
According to Yayan, the eight children were aged between 7 and 12 years old. Police said they confiscated charity boxes used by the kids that said “please help orphans” as well as envelopes to collect money and musical instruments used by some of the kids.
Yayan said that the two men arrested were just part of a larger network of child beggar gangs that operated in Depok, especially before the start of the Ramadan holiday season.
The Satpol PP chief explained that both the coordinator and the child beggars came from outside of Depok and that they had temporary housing in shacks and rented house behind Terminal Depok.
Yayan said that the children were given a target of collecting IDR50,000 (USD3.60) to IDR100,000 and that if they did not meet their targets, they would receive less food. They were told to beg at food stalls, cafes, public transportation and traffic intersections.
Authorities said the two men worked for another bigger boss named Juleha, who coordinated child begging operations across Depok and also paid to bring children into the city on buses. Police said they were still investigating Juleha.
As for the two men they arrested, Yayan said they could only be charged with misdemeanors (tipiring) for violating regulations on Public Order. He said the children were currently with the city’s social services unit and would eventually be returned to their homes.
