by Thomas Stephens, swissinfo.ch

Roma children who beg and steal in Switzerland are not offenders but rather victims of human trafficking who need better protection, says a report.

Putting these recommendations into practice, Bern has rid its streets of underage foreign beggars and now other Swiss cities are looking into following the capital’s example.

Some people are irritated by beggars, others have sympathy for them – both are the wrong reaction when it comes to organised begging, according to Reto Nause, responsible for security in the city of Bern.

“Behind the beggars hide cold-blooded criminal organisations,” he told swissinfo.ch.

“These children are in all likelihood victims of human trafficking. It’s a huge problem and we have to protect them.”

To this end, the Association of Swiss Cities, the city of Bern and the Swiss Coordination Unit against Human Trafficking have drawn up a package of measures and recommendations for the authorities.

Their report, written with the Conference of City Police Directors, was partly based on Bern’s Agora Project (see box), considered a pioneering effort in the struggle against organised begging and petty crime.

“Until now, the treatment of foreign children and teenagers who beg has been inadequate,” admitted Martin Tschirren, deputy head of the Association of Swiss Cities, adding that simply moving underage beggars on did nothing to solve the problem.

read more here:

Begging in Geneva (Keystone)