MOSCOW, September 24 (RAPSI) – The Liberal Democratic Party has submitted a bill to the State Duma that would introduce penalties for street begging with babies and small or ill children.

The bill has been posted on the lower house’s website of planned legislation.

Under the bill, individuals aged above 18 who introduce children to alcohol or alcoholic drinks and intoxicating substances, exploit them in bumming or begging, or who beg with underage children would be punished for their acts with up to 480 hours of compulsory community service, 12 to 24 months of compulsory labor, three to six months in detainment or up to four years in prison.

The authors of the bill say the current wording of Part 1 of Article 151 of the Criminal Code sets out responsibility for involving underage children in begging, but it does not protect the rights of children. “The term ‘involvement’ should not be applied to babies and small or ill children, as they are incapable of adequately assessing their own or other people’s actions,” says an explanatory note to the bill.

“Criminals use this legal loophole to avoid responsibility for begging with children,” the bill’s authors say. Considering the growing number of these crimes, legislation should be amended to include the term “exploitation of children in begging,” in keeping with international practice.