Number of children begging falls to record low, say ISPCC

THE number of children found begging on the streets has fallen to a record low level in the past 12 months, according to the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

The 2005-2006 report by Leanbh, which is due to be published later today, shows there was a total of 756 sightings of juveniles begging in the past year. It represents a 3.7% decrease in the number of sightings compared to the previous 12-month period.

However, over a third of all sightings involved a case of a child begging in the company of an adult They accounted for the vast majority of the 154 sightings of children under the age of four who were witnessed.