Street begging crackdown must be humane, collaborative – Toobu

Vice Chairman of Parliament's Defence and Interior Committee, Peter Lanchene Toobu, has called for a more compassionate and collaborative approach to the ongoing crackdown on street begging by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).

His comments follow the arrest of over 2,200 foreign nationals—many of them children—during a coordinated operation in Accra. Speaking in an interview on Channel One Newsroom on Saturday, May 17, Toobu urged authorities to go beyond enforcement and ensure humane treatment, especially during repatriation.

“It is not just a matter of arresting them. We should arrest them, we should treat them humanely,” Toobu stressed.

He also called for stronger cooperation between Ghana and the countries of origin of the individuals involved, particularly within the ECOWAS sub-region, to ensure that repatriation is conducted responsibly.

“When repatriating them, we should begin to look at collaboration between our country and the country of origin. If you are taking them back, will you ensure that our borders are tight enough for them not to come back? Will you ensure that their country of origin accepts and treats them well?” he asked.

Toobu emphasized the need to recognize the dignity of street children, regardless of nationality, and called for regional cooperation to support their development.

“These are children we are all trying to support for them to grow to become responsible citizens in the ECOWAS sub-region. It is a joint project and we need to collectively appreciate the fact that we are dealing with humanity,” he said.

—citinewsroom