Why Tourists Shouldn't Give Money to Children

If you've traveled at all in the developing world (and even parts of the U.S. and Europe), you've probably seen children on the streets begging for money. Most tourists feel an immediate sense of concern for these children, and want to help them out with a few dollars to buy a meal. But one Southeast Asian organization is itself begging well-meaning Westerners to stop being so generous, because tourists' largess is actually fueling child trafficking in the region.

The Mirror Foundation, an anti-trafficking NGO, claims that tourists giving money to children on the streets fuels child trafficking across the Thai-Cambodian border. Around 80% of child beggars in Thailand come from Cambodia, and at least a third of them are being controlled and exploited by an adult. Children trafficked for begging are often forced to work up to twelve hours a day in hot and dangerous conditions. Most children are under 12, with the youngest identified being a 10-day-old infant. Furthermore, children used as beggars when they are very young are sometimes forced into prostitution or manual labor once they reach puberty.

Child beggars can earn a decent amount of money in a day, but they turn over all their earnings to an adult at the end of it. That's one of the reasons trafficking children for begging is so lucrative. Plus, it can be much more difficult to identify a trafficking victim among a swarm of street children than in a brothel or a factory.

According to the Mirror Foundation, if tourists would stop giving to child beggars for just a year, at least 1000 children would be off the streets and in school. That's because children who dropped out of school to earn money begging would have incentive to go back, and traffickers would see a formerly lucrative business dry up. But making that happen is challenging, since tourists give to children with the best intentions.

If someone you know is planning on traveling to Southeast Asia, let them know giving money to child beggars may actually do more harm than good. And if you're interested in helping prevent child trafficking and protect children, one of the best ways to do that is to make sure they stay in school. The Asia Foundation has a lot of great information about education programs in Southeast Asia which you can support. Or, consider supporting a local anti-trafficking or child welfare organization in the country where you're traveling.

Photo credit: mckaysavage