Mother sends 11-year-old girl to beg to support family

This article is more than 12 months old

Jun 20, 2014 06:00 pm

A Malaysian woman sent her 11-year-old daughter to beg on the streets behind her husband's back because he was not earning enough to feed the family of seven.

Her ploy was only discovered when the girl was picked up outside a mosque near Johor Baru during an operation against a syndicate of beggars by the Welfare Department, reported The Star.

The woman, who is in her 30s, claimed that she had no choice as her husband's monthly wage of RM900 (S$349) was not enough for the family. She said she was "renting" her daughter for between RM50 and RM60 (S$19 - S$23) to the syndicate and used the money to feed the family, reported China Press.

When questioned by the authorities, the woman insisted that she was not abusing her daughter because the girl only begged for between two to three hours a day.

Department officers also picked up three women, aged between 26 and 46, and four children, aged between two and 11, for begging following a public tip-off.

One of the women admitted to bringing her two-year-old son and sometimes bringing other people’s children along to beg.