CHILD BEGGARS IN DAKARCHILD BEGGARS IN DAKAR

2

The perception that there are increasing numbers of child beggars on the streets of Dakar

Begging is detrimental to the physical and mental Begging is detrimental to the physical and mental development of a childdevelopment of a child

Government engagement in the fight against begging by Government engagement in the fight against begging by childrenchildren

CONTEXTCONTEXT

3

• Establish a solid information base through a quantitative and Establish a solid information base through a quantitative and qualitative studyqualitative study

• Assess the dimensions of the phenomenonAssess the dimensions of the phenomenon

• Analyse child beggars’ characteristics and life conditionsAnalyse child beggars’ characteristics and life conditions

• Propose strategic options to accelerate and strengthen Propose strategic options to accelerate and strengthen national efforts against child beggingnational efforts against child begging

OBJECTIVES OF THE OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDYSTUDY

4

Technical Team: UCW Rome, FAFO, ENEA, and 3 NGOs (Avenir de l’Enfant, ENDA GRAF et Samusocial)

Steering Committee : Government, Civil Society, Partners (legitimacy, technical support, supervision– from questionnaire development to report validation)

ORGANIZATION OF ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDYTHE STUDY

5

Children

from the

streetsChild

beggars Children living

with their families

Children in the

streetsHandicapped

children

Children with

disableded adults

The target group: Child beggars in DakarThe target group: Child beggars in Dakar

THE METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY: CHILD THE METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY: CHILD BEGGARS IN DAKARBEGGARS IN DAKAR

Talibés

6

Obstacles to data collection:

• Few child beggars compared to overall population (would require an enormously large sample to find enough subjects)

• Child beggars move around (risk of counting the same child more than once)

• Child beggars may hide

Child beggars constitute a ‘scarce’ and ‘difficult to access’ population

THE METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY: CHILD THE METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY: CHILD BEGGARS IN DAKARBEGGARS IN DAKAR

Two sampling methods

Capture-recapture (CR): To measure the size of the population.

Respondent-driven sampling (RDS):

To obtain data on the characteristics of the population.

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CAPTURE-RECAPTURE (CR)

The CR methodology allows for an estimatate of The CR methodology allows for an estimatate of population size where an exhaustive census is population size where an exhaustive census is impossible impossible

Example: fish in a lakeExample: fish in a lake

You throw a fishing net into a lake, catch fish, and mark You throw a fishing net into a lake, catch fish, and mark them before letting them go them before letting them go

Re-catching : you throw the net back in and observe how Re-catching : you throw the net back in and observe how many fish are already marked and how many are not many fish are already marked and how many are not marked marked

THE METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY: CHILD THE METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY: CHILD BEGGARS IN DAKARBEGGARS IN DAKAR

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Data collection: CAPTURE-RECAPTUREData collection: CAPTURE-RECAPTURE cont’d cont’d

4 hypotheses: The study population is closed; Each person has a non-zero chance of being

captured;

People already surveyed can be identified precisely; and

Having been caught does not have any correlation with the probably of being re-caught.

THE METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY: CHILD THE METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY: CHILD BEGGARS IN DAKARBEGGARS IN DAKAR

CR method

Prepare two separate lists: Capture I and Capture II

Count the number of persons in each list Count the number of persons appearing in both lists Population size estimates aer based on the figures obtained

Capture I(Marking)

Capture II(RDS)

Recap-ture

Capture I(Marking)

Capture II(RDS)

Recap-ture

Capture

Make an exhaustive census of all child beggars found at specific gathering sites

The list of sites is put together with help from specialized NGOs

Number of children counted – CAPTURE I

Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS)

Snow ball sampling to identify populations hidden or difficult to access 

Double motivation for respondents Reward for being surveyed : 1 packet of cookiesReward for recruiting other respondents : 2 cans of

sardines

RECAPTURE

Question asked:

« Have you already been asked questions or were you put on a list last week?».

If the answer is yes, the child is considered « recaptured ».

RECAPTURE

Percentage of recaptured children

Estimate total population of child beggars

(Petersons method)N=Estimated Number M=Child beggars counted in Capture I C= Child beggars counted in Capture II R= Recaptured children

11

)1)(1(ˆ

R

CMN

Estimated child beggar population in greater Dakar

Questions

Have all sites where children beg been properly identified (and surveyed)?

If the process were to continue (more waves of CR) would the estimates change?

Results

There are about 8000 child beggars in Dakar

Almost 90% are Koranic students (talibés)Almost all are boys (98%)Almost half were born abroad (Guinea and

Guinea Bissau)Being an orphan has very little impact on the Being an orphan has very little impact on the

probability of being a beggarprobability of being a beggar (t(the proportion of he proportion of child beggars that are orphans is very low)child beggars that are orphans is very low)

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Ethnic origin constitutes a distinctive element among child Ethnic origin constitutes a distinctive element among child beggarsbeggars

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Peuhl

Bambara

Mandingue

SoninkéOther child beggars

Koran disciples

CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILD CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILD BEGGARSBEGGARS

21

Child beggars are very young.Child beggars are very young.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

2 à 5 ans 6 à 8 ans 9 à 11 ans 12 à 14 ans 15 à 17 ans 2 à 5 ans 6 à 8 ans 9 à 11 ans 12 à 14 ans 15 à 17 ans 2 à 5 ans 6 à 8 ans 9 à 11 ans 12 à 14 ans 15 à 17 ans

Koranic disciples Other child beggars All child beggars

CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILD CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILD BEGGARSBEGGARS

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Begging is a full-time ‘job’Begging is a full-time ‘job’

The children dedicate an average of six hours per day to The children dedicate an average of six hours per day to beggingbegging..

The children are in the streets every day of the week.The children are in the streets every day of the week.

5

6

8

9

6

56

888

0

5

10

2 to 5 years 6 to 8 years 9 to 11 years 12 to 14 years 15 to 17 years

Koran disciples Not Koran disciples

The children that The children that aren’t Koranic aren’t Koranic students spend, on students spend, on average, more time average, more time begging than begging than Koranic studentsKoranic students

LIFE CONDITIONS OF CHILD BEGGARSLIFE CONDITIONS OF CHILD BEGGARS

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Revenues of child beggarsRevenues of child beggars

97% of child beggars earn less than 1000 Francs CFA 97% of child beggars earn less than 1000 Francs CFA per day (1.50 Euros)per day (1.50 Euros)

Child beggars who are not Koranic students earn more Child beggars who are not Koranic students earn more than those who arethan those who are

726

411 444

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

Non Koran disciples Koran disciples Average

Revenue

LIFE CONDITIONS OF CHILD BEGGARSLIFE CONDITIONS OF CHILD BEGGARS

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School enrollment of child beggars by type of school (%)School enrollment of child beggars by type of school (%)

Child beggars Child beggars that aren’t that aren’t

Koran studentsKoran students

Child beggars Child beggars that are that are Koran Koran

studentsstudents

AverageAverage

Koranic Koranic schoolschool

2121 100100 9191

Fraco-arabic Fraco-arabic schoolschool

11 00 00

Formal schoolFormal school 00 00 00

NoneNone 7878 00 88

No child beggar goes No child beggar goes to a formal schoolto a formal school

All of the child beggars All of the child beggars that are Koran students that are Koran students go to Koranic schoolgo to Koranic school

Education of child beggarsEducation of child beggars

CONSEQUENCES OF CHILD BEGGINGCONSEQUENCES OF CHILD BEGGING