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How Old Are You ?

The presence of a lone child on the streets or on public transport raises concerns for their welfare and development (e.g. the child should be at safe at home, in an early years setting or school, or participating in out of school activities).

 

The latest government estimate suggests England had 4,751 rough sleepers last autumn, a rise of nearly 270% since 2010, with about a quarter of them in London. Not all rough sleepers are beggars; more important, in terms of public attitudes, not all beggars are rough sleepers. Figures from police forces in England and Wales show that of more than 1,000 people arrested for begging in 2014, less than a fifth were legally defined as homeless.

 

The advice of almost every charity is never to give to beggars; in the words of the Big Issue’s founder, John Bird, “It locks the beggar in a downward spiral of abject dependency and victimhood, where all self-respect, honesty and hope are lost.” Most beggars – as many as 80% – are doing so to fund a drug habit. Better instead to give money to charities, say the charities, so that they can fund drop-in centres and other projects that have a chance of changing the beggar’s life.

 

Begging can be lucrative, it’s reported that individuals can gain £40-50 daily and in some cases even more.

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Uploaded on May 2, 2019
Taken on April 27, 2019