The Experiences And Views Of Children Assisting Adult Beggars On The Streets Of Accra, Ghana

ABSTRACT Many children in Ghana do not enjoy their childhood because of poverty and other socioeconomic factors that force them to become street children. Among such children are those who aide adult beggars. Working and/or living on the streets as aides to adult beggars come with several challenges such as the children having to provide their own survival needs as well as the needs of the adult beggars they aide. There are extensive literatures on the experiences of street children in general. However, little is known about the daily lives of children who are aides to adult beggars. To bridge this gap in literature, the current study examines the experiences of children used as aides to adult beggars in Greater Accra. It explores the factors that influence the children to become aides to adult beggars; the activities they perform; and the challenges that confront them. The study adopted a qualitative research design and data was collected using semi-structured interview, and was analysed using the analytical framework by UK National Centre for Social Research (Richie & Lewis, 2003). The researcher interviewed 15 children. The findings of the study revealed that parental disability and abandonment are factors that drive children to become aides. Children also perform care-giving roles and are confronted with numerous challenges which include their inability to attend school. Based on the findings, the study recommended that for children, who aide adult beggars as a result of parental disability, government through the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection should ensure that parents receive LEAP cash transfers. In addition, street corner education by Catholic Action for Street Children (Save the children, 2006) could be intensified and supported by government to provide children with some educational opportunities. Furthermore, Nongovernmental organizations (NGO) that work with street children such as Assemblies of God Relief Agency can provide short term relief such as mosquito nets or a place they can sleep.