Parents who let their children beg ‘should not be charged’

A CHILDREN’S charity yesterday expressed concern about the number of parents being prosecuted for allowing their children to beg.

According to the most recent garda statistics, 21 parents were prosecuted for the offence in 2004, with two convictions, one dismissal and 18 cases pending.

The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) said that although it understood the legislation was clear, it did not want to see parents prosecuted if at all possible.

“We want to try and look at other more positive alternatives that are going to help the child and the family,” said Mary Nicholson, the manager of its Leanbh service.

Under the 2001 Children’s Act, parents who allow their child to beg can be fined up to €317 for a first offence and €635 for a second offence.

Ms Nicholson said there were a variety of reasons why parents let their children beg.

“Some of it could be attributed to poverty and some of it goes through generations. Some of it is people not realising that there are other alternatives or that it’s as serious as it is. But certainly the families we come in contact with would very often be living in poor circumstances.”

The garda prosecution statistics, which are revealed for the first time in its latest annual report, do not provide details of the background of the children and parents involved.

But the Leanbh service has found that nearly all child beggars are from the Roma and Traveller communities.

The level of child begging has fallen dramatically since the service’s foundation in 1997, with 2,900 sightings of child beggars reported in 1997 but just 785 in 2004/2005.

Most of these sightings were in Dublin and involved the same 20 or 30 children.

The ISPCC has warned that child beggars represent a significant child protection risk. They can suffer health problems due to harsh weather conditions and miss out on their education. They can also be at risk of emotional, physical and sexual abuse and of becoming involved in criminal activity.

Ms Nicholson said while child beggars should be treated with dignity, passers by should not give them money.

“We would be promoting that you ring a service like ourselves or the gardaí,” she said.