evidence: Colombo, March 27 (Daily Mirror) - A study revealed that the number of underage street children begging all around the country is between 20,000 and 30,000. [...] He told the Daily Mirror that the estimated figure was determined through informal discussions held in those areas, drawing from previous surveys conducted by a specific non-governmental organization (NGO) in 2019. He noted that, according to the data from these surveys, approximately 15,000 underage street children were identified across the country. [...] Meanwhile, National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) Chairman Chanaka Udyakumara Amarasinghe said that the use of children in begging is a criminal offense. While commenting on the issue, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshbandu Tennakoon said that although there is the possibility of taking child beggars into police custody, the existing legal obstacles to taking action against them have become a problem.