Morocco to launch program to fight child begging

Morocco will launch a national plan on the eradication of child begging, to start first in the Moroccan largest city of Casablanca before being implemented in other regions of the country.

Moroccan minister of social development, Abderrahim Harouchi said Tuesday in Casablanca the plan, which will associate several partners and organisations, aims at preventing children from being used by adults and at assisting begger children aged 8 to 12.

At the signing of a partnership convention on the management of the charity organisation "Dar El Kheir," the minister said his department and the city of Casablanca will cooperate to cope with the situation of begger children.

Harouchi said 15 percent of children below 7 are not relatives of the adults who use them in begging, while 70 percent of begger childern aged 8 to 12 are not happy with their situation. A third of the latter do not make ends meet by begging, the minister noted. Dar El Kheir Center will play an important role in carrying out the programme and will host the children taken away from begging as well as set files to examine their social, health and psychological condition.