Introduction

At major intersections in Abidjan, around markets, or outside certain places of worship, children hold out their hands to beg. Some are very young. Others carry infants on their backs. They move between cars and expose themselves to danger. Behind every child who begs lies a complex story involving poverty, family breakdown, migration, and sometimes exploitation. Reducing the phenomenon to a simple act of begging would be a mistake. It is a child protection issue and a matter of collective responsibility. Understanding the underlying causes is the first step toward developing appropriate and sustainable responses.

A Social Reality That Goes Beyond Simple Begging

The growing presence of children on the streets of Côte d’Ivoire cannot be viewed solely as a public order issue. For some, begging is linked to extreme family poverty. Income is insufficient, access to employment is unstable, and children become a means of supplementing household resources. For others, they are children entrusted to third parties, sometimes as part of religious or informal learning arrangements, where begging becomes an imposed practice.

Multiple and Deep Vulnerabilities

Begging exposes children to several risks. Moving between vehicles, spending the day under the sun, and sleeping in unsafe places exposes them to accidents and illness. When the money collected is controlled by an adult or an intermediary, begging becomes a form of exploitation. The child works without benefiting from the resources they generate. A child who spends time on the streets is often absent from school. This disruption compromises their future, affects their emotional development and self-confidence, and reinforces the cycle of poverty.

How Should We Respond?

The first mistake would be indifference. The second would be stigmatization. These children are neither responsible for their situation nor delinquents. They are, above all, in a situation of vulnerability. The appropriate approach should therefore be based on protection. This means viewing child begging as a child rights issue rather than simply an urban nuisance. A child on the street is not an ordinary phenomenon: it is a warning signal.

Concrete and Applicable Solutions

A credible advocacy approach must propose realistic responses. First, the identification and monitoring of vulnerable children should be strengthened through mobile teams of social workers capable of identifying children at risk and providing individualized support. Second, vulnerable families should receive economic assistance through targeted social transfers or income-generating activities. Children should also be reintegrated into the education system through bridge programs adapted to those who have dropped out of school. Effective enforcement of Côte d’Ivoire’s legal framework, combined with a social rather than purely punitive approach, is necessary. Finally, communities should be made aware of the consequences of child begging.

Conclusion

No child should have to grow up on the streets to ensure their own survival or that of an adult. Child begging is neither a cultural inevitability nor simply a consequence of poverty. It reveals deep social vulnerabilities. Understanding these vulnerabilities helps us avoid hasty judgments and focus instead on protection, dignity, and sustainable solutions.