Policeman suspended over abusing child vendor

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Thu, 23 Aug 2018 - 06:20 GMT

BY

Thu, 23 Aug 2018 - 06:20 GMT

FILE- Egypt’s Minister of Interior Mahmoud Tawfik

FILE- Egypt’s Minister of Interior Mahmoud Tawfik

CAIRO – 23 August 2018: A non-commissioned police officer was suspended over beating a child vendor at a metro passenger carriage, as per a decision issued by Minister of Interior Mahmoud Tawfik on Thursday.

The decision of suspension was issued after a video footage that went viral on social media showing the policeman beating the child for refusing to get out of a women-only passenger carriage.

According to security source spoke to Egypt Today on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to brief the media, the policeman was suspended pending the ongoing investigation regarding the incident.

Two days earlier, Tawfik ordered opening an investigation into the video.

"Please, let me celebrate Eid," the child selling tissues told the policeman as shown in the video. The policeman tried to push the child out of the car upon a complaint by female passengers, who were annoyed by the pedestrian vendor.

The child's situation is a breach to child law No. 12 of 1996, which was amended in 2008, stipulating that "The child is considered to be in danger if he is in a situation jeopardizing the adequate rearing conditions." That includes begging in the form of street vending or performing any other job that cannot be a “reliable” source of income. As a result, adults using children for begging should be punished by law.

The National Council for Childhood and Motherhood thanked the minister in a press release for taking action toward the video shot by one of the passengers, asserting that justice for citizens, especially children, must be maintained.

On Monday, the Ministry of Transportation issued a press release encouraging citizens to report pedestrian vendors on the metro through the hotline 16048, clarifying that the child broke the law.

Authorities have been attempting to eliminate the presence of pedestrian vendors on the metro. If arrested, those vendors are fined. The Parliament also studied confiscating the goods they sell in 2017.

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