The Administration has organized a discussion forum on the draft law today with the inhabitants of the city. The new law aims to make begging, living on the streets of Addis Ababa and prostitution illegal. Before the draft is approved discussions and consultations on the draft will be done involving different segments of the society, according to the information from the Addis Ababa Bureau of Labor and Social Affairs.

It is recalled that a few months ago the Administration has setup a trust fund to change the lives of thousands of people living on the streets of Addis Ababa. It is estimated that some 50,000 people are living on the streets of Addis Ababa, of which the majority are children under 18.

The report presented at the discussion forum on the draft law shows that the origin of 92 percent of those living on the streets of Addis Ababa is not from the capital city, but other parts of Ethiopia. Out of these some are reportedly engaged in begging and prostitution.