Figures released today by the ISPCC indicate an increase in the number of children begging on streets in Ireland.
Leanbh, a service operated by the society that aims to eliminate the causes of child begging, is launching a campaign to educate the public about the problem.
'Giving money is not the answer' is the central message from Leanbh in the new campaign aimed at stamping out the causes of child begging.
The ISPCC says there was an increase of 30% in the number of sightings of child begging. Even though there were over 1,000 sightings, just 144 children received support this and last year.
Mary Nicolson of the Leanbh service says giving money to children that beg does not address the root causes of the problem.
In 1997 almost 3,000 sightings were reported. Although the figure has reduced to over 1,000, it still marks a significant increase on the past three years, something Leanbh has said needs to be addressed.
