Child Beggar: A Security Challenge/Social Menace

By Elumah Lucas

Begging has grown at a significant rate in many cities across Nigeria; this may be due to the poor economic condition of the country. Nevertheless, it is alarming how children have joined the league of beggars across our streets. According to an online source, begging is believed to have been sponsored by the combination of economies, religious and cultural factors.

In India, half a million people are beggars, which is attributed to poverty - though the poverty level in Nigeria is worryingly high as studies shows that a large extent of Nigerians live below two dollars a day.  Some got into begging due to sheer poverty, some inherited from parents, others were forced into it while others out of laziness seek for quick money. Many children on the street are there as a result of family breakdown, which is linked to polygamy.  It is believed by advanced countries, that the lack of social security system is a major contribution towards the widespread growth of beggars.

Children who are to be of great value to every aspect of economic and developmental growth resides on our busy street begging for livelihood. Thus, it seems to still be at its early stage but if not curtailed, many cities across the country will have an influx of beggars especially kids in the nearest future, which is of potential danger to the society in term of the harm that might be inflicted on the kids while begging and the high insecurity condition if the kids are used in detonating bombs at selected cities by the terrorists groups in the country.

As one of the oldest professions, begging has evolved over the years, it spawned in diversified forms. A part of the street children are the road children, who under guise of filling pot holes on major highway engage in begging. These kids face safety risk to themselves and road users, they are also found to be part of organised highway robbers and provide intelligent report and place sharp objects on the road to deflate tyres and trap vehicles for easy plunder by the main robbers.

Many child beggars faced bitter experiences at a very tender age have a big hand in shaping their future. They are denied their basic rights; right to live, right to education, right to protection etc.  Most of them learn on the street the art of communication, convincing, negotiating and art of telling lies. Some thereafter go into crime, drugs and many more. Some are forced out of their own will to join the begging crew. According to E.C Brandon, the idea of engaging children to beg is heinous evil that must be addressed at whatever cost; perpetrator should be brought to justice and punished appropriately.

Should begging be tagged a social menace or security condition of the country especially in the Northern parts- which might spread to the other parts if not properly curtailed? Have you ever thought that the child you gave a token in the market place or at the park can detonate improvised explosive device and cause havoc to people there? A child that have not eaten or doesn’t have any means of catering for himself, if given five hundred naira only just to place an explosive device somewhere, wont he or she do that and not consider the aftermath of his actions? Since government is presently not taking drastic steps towards curtailing this menace, it is our own moral responsibility as citizens to put an end to this by stop the giving of alms especially to kids on our street. It may seem that we are heartless in not giving money to a child begging on the street, but this is one step that can prevent further encouragement of begging.

Government at the other hand should improve its poverty alleviation schemes and programmes and likewise ban begging in all states and streets of this country. Children seen on the street during school hours should be taken off the street by enforcement agency; this will also reduce the trend of child beggar. Apart from the fact that, these kids are prone to rape, kidnapping, and rituals, they may also be forced to join robbery gangs or unknowingly assist terrorist groups in accomplishing their destructive objectives.

Child begging is a curse and a blot on a nation’s image because kids are forced to live the life of a premature adulthood and they end up losing their innocent and bubbling spirits. Begging misplaces the public senses of decency and demeans the value of human dignity. This country has abundance human and natural resources to stop the progress of this security challenge and menace and totally eradicate it if from our streets. There is need for collective commitment of the citizenry and will planed government scheme to provide compulsory basic education to put an end to this unaccepted act before it explodes like a time bomb.