Street begging is becoming increasingly widespread across Freetown, prompting urgent calls for the Government of Sierra Leone to introduce practical and sustainable measures to address the growing social problem.

Men and women capable of working, elderly people, persons living with disabilities and young children can now be seen begging at major intersections, marketplaces, commercial centres, places of worship and recreational areas throughout the capital.

Of particular concern is the growing number of children being used to solicit money from members of the public at Lumley and Aberdeen beaches. Some of the children appear to be between two and seven years old and are reportedly sent to approach tourists, joggers and other beach users while their parents or guardians remain nearby.

Concerned citizen, Charles Sylvanus Boye, has written to the Ministry of Social Welfare, the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs and the National Tourist Board, calling for immediate Government intervention.

Charles Sylvanus Boye warned that the situation should not be viewed solely as a public inconvenience or tourism concern. He said it is primarily a child-protection issue requiring a coordinated response from the Government, local councils, law-enforcement agencies, Civil Society Organisations and community leaders.

“The children should be playing, learning, developing social skills and preparing for a productive future; not being introduced at such an early age to a life of begging,” he stated.

While acknowledging the economic hardship facing many families, Charles Sylvanus Boye stressed that poverty should not be used to justify the exploitation of children. He said the authorities must respond with compassion while making it clear that using children to beg cannot be normalized.

He warned that repeatedly exposing young children to street begging could prevent them from attending school and acquiring the education and skills necessary to escape poverty. Without intervention, he said, the practice could create another generation that views begging as its only means of survival.

The growing presence of child beggars at Lumley and Aberdeen beaches is also raising concerns among residents and visitors who use the areas for walking, jogging, recreation and relaxation. Persistent requests for money could make visitors uncomfortable and damage the image of the beaches as safe and welcoming tourism destinations.

The Government should urgently establish a multi-agency task force involving the relevant Ministries, the National Tourist Board, the Sierra Leone Police, Freetown City Council, child-protection organisations and community representatives.

The task force should conduct a comprehensive registration and assessment of people begging across Freetown. This would help the authorities determine who needs financial assistance, medical care, disability support, housing, education, counselling or employment opportunities.

Social workers should be deployed to identify begging locations, particularly Lumley and Aberdeen beaches, to remove vulnerable children from harmful situations and trace their parents or guardians. Families should then be assessed and connected to appropriate social-protection programmes.

Children found begging should be enrolled or returned to school, while the Government should strengthen school-feeding, learning-material and family-support programmes to reduce the financial pressure that keeps vulnerable children out of classrooms.

Parents and guardians who depend on begging should be offered vocational training, small-business assistance, agricultural opportunities or temporary employment under public works programmes. Support should be properly monitored to ensure that beneficiaries do not return children to the streets.

The Government must also enforce existing child-protection laws against adults who deliberately exploit children for financial gain. However, enforcement should be combined with rehabilitation and family support rather than relying solely on arrests or forced removal.

A nationwide public-education campaign should be introduced to explain the dangers of child begging and discourage the public from giving money directly to children. Citizens wishing to help should instead be encouraged to support recognized charities and Government-approved social programmes.

“This is not a call to criminalize poverty or stigmatize vulnerable mothers. It is a call to protect children,” Charles Sylvanus Boye emphasized.

He urged the Government to treat the situation as an urgent national concern and develop a compassionate but firm response that addresses both child exploitation and the poverty driving families onto the streets.

Sierra Leone’s children deserve classrooms, playgrounds and safe homes; not a childhood spent begging from strangers. The Government must act now before the practice becomes an even deeper and more difficult social crisis. https://thecalabashnewspaper.com/archives/63623