Removal Of Street Beggars: Uphold Children’s Right, Dignity – CRI

Child Rights International (CRI) has urged authorities to be sensitive to the fundamental rights of children involved in the recent swoop by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to rid the streets of Accra of migrant beggars.

The CRI said the government must adopt a more “child-sensitive and coordinated approach” in dealing with the situation since it involved children and adults.

The operation, which took place on Friday, May 16, 2025, targeted major areas like Kane­shie, Abossey Okai, and Kwame Nkrumah Circle, and led to the “arrest” of over 2,000 individuals with more than 1,300 of them being children, many of whom are foreign nationals.

The Executive Director of CRI, Mr. Bright Appiah, addressing the media in Accra yester­day said while it was “illegal and unsafe” for children to beg on the streets, any interven­tion involving children must uphold their rights and dignity, regardless of their nation­ality.