Punjab is moving towards stricter child protection laws as lawmakers seek to prevent children from being exploited for begging. A provincial assembly committee has approved amendments that would raise the protected age from 14 to 16 years and introduce stronger penalties for parents and guardians involved in child begging. The proposal also seeks to improve rehabilitation services and coordination between government departments. However, the changes have not yet become law and must complete the legislative process.
The Punjab Child Begging Law proposal comes as concerns persist over children working and begging in public spaces. While the amendments aim to discourage exploitation, they also raise an important question about how authorities should respond when families rely on begging because of poverty.
Punjab Child Begging Law Raises Protection Age to 16
The Punjab Assembly’s Committee on Home Affairs unanimously approved the Punjab Vagrancy (Amendment) Bill, 2026, on November 3. MPA Safdar Hussain Sahi chaired the meeting, which included committee members and officials from relevant provincial departments.
The bill proposes changes to the Punjab Vagrancy Ordinance, 1958. Most importantly, it would increase the protected age for children from 14 to 16 years.
The amendment would extend legal safeguards to a wider group of minors. It also seeks to strengthen government responsibility for preventing exploitation and managing rehabilitation programmes.
However, committee approval does not mean the bill has been enacted. The proposed changes must still pass through the required legislative stages.
Parents and Guardians Could Face Three Years in Prison
The proposed law introduces penalties for parents and guardians who involve children in begging. It also covers those who permit others to use children for begging or negligently fail to prevent such exploitation.
Under the bill, violations could result in imprisonment ranging from three months to three years. Courts could also impose fines between Rs100,000 and Rs300,000.
These penalties aim to discourage adults and organised networks from exploiting children for financial gain.
However, the provision concerning parental negligence requires careful implementation. Authorities would need to distinguish deliberate exploitation from circumstances where families face severe poverty, limited employment opportunities or inadequate access to social support.
Without that distinction, enforcement could place additional pressure on already vulnerable households.
Punjab Plans Centralised Child Protection and Rehabilitation System
The amendments also propose a more coordinated system for anti-begging operations and rehabilitation.
Under the framework, the director general of Punjab’s Social Welfare and Bait-ul-Maal Department would serve as the controller responsible for implementation.
The office would coordinate enforcement activities, inspect welfare centres and maintain a central database. It would also issue standard operating procedures and oversee rehabilitation programmes.
These measures could improve monitoring and reduce gaps between departments responsible for child protection.
However, the system will require trained staff, suitable facilities and adequate funding. A central database alone cannot ensure that children receive effective rehabilitation or long-term support.
Punishment Alone Cannot End Child Begging
The proposed legislation addresses an important concern, but child begging is closely connected to wider economic and social conditions.
Some children are exploited by organised groups, while others accompany family members who struggle to meet basic needs. These circumstances require different responses.
Criminal penalties may help deter deliberate exploitation. However, children removed from begging environments also need access to education, healthcare, counselling and safe accommodation where necessary.
Families facing financial hardship may require livelihood assistance and social protection to prevent children from returning to the streets.
Without these services, enforcement could reduce visible begging in certain areas without addressing the conditions that caused it.
Rehabilitation Must Remain Central to Child Protection
Effective child protection requires more than removing children from public spaces. Authorities must assess each child’s circumstances and determine what support is needed.
For children exposed to exploitation, rehabilitation may involve family assessments, educational enrolment and access to appropriate welfare services.
Government departments will also need to monitor rehabilitation outcomes. This includes examining whether children return to school, remain safe and receive continued support.
The proposed coordination mechanism could help improve these services. However, its effectiveness will depend on implementation rather than the number of enforcement operations conducted.
Punjab Committee Also Approves Faster Dispute Resolution Bill
In a separate development, the Punjab Assembly’s Standing Committee on Law approved the Punjab Alternative Dispute Resolution Bill, 2026.
The proposal aims to resolve eligible civil, family, property, inheritance and financial disputes through mediation.
Under the proposed system, mediation would normally conclude within 30 days, with an extension of up to 60 days where necessary.
The bill also proposes an autonomous Punjab ADR Authority headed by a retired high court judge. The authority would regulate mediation services and oversee the training of mediators.
These reforms aim to reduce court delays and provide more accessible dispute resolution mechanisms. However, the ADR proposal is separate from the child protection amendments, and both remain subject to further legislative approval.
Stronger Laws Must Deliver Real Protection
Punjab’s proposed child begging amendments represent an effort to expand legal protection for minors and strengthen accountability for adults who exploit them.
Raising the protected age to 16 could extend safeguards to more children. Meanwhile, tougher penalties may discourage deliberate exploitation, particularly by organised begging networks.
However, the law’s long-term effectiveness will depend on how authorities distinguish exploitation from poverty and whether rehabilitation services receive adequate resources.
For vulnerable families, access to education, employment and social assistance may be just as important as legal enforcement.
Punjab’s challenge is not simply to reduce the number of children begging on its streets. It is to ensure that those children have safer alternatives, meaningful protection and opportunities beyond survival.
