ISPCC report - Child beggars still a scar on society

REVELATIONS that the number of children begging on the streets of Irish cities and towns is steadily declining heralds heartening news in the run-up to the Christmas festivities.

Yet it would be wrong to pretend this blatant form of child exploitation is no longer a significant problem at the heart of one of Europe’s richest societies, where dire poverty persists.

According to the ISPCC, Ireland’s leading charity specialising in the prevention of cruelty to children, there has been a decrease of 19% in the number of ‘sightings’ of children begging.