There has been a decrease in the number of children seen begging in 2004, according to the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC).
The decrease was announced at the publication of the Leanbh Annual Report 2003/2004. Leanbh is a 24-hour, seven-day service that seeks to protect children who beg and are at risk on the streets.
The Leanbh report indicates there was an overall decrease of 37 per cent in the number of sightings of children begging in the past year. Children between the ages of eight and 15 are the most likely to be seen begging.
The ISPCC also conducted a national telephone survey of 676 people in the latter half of this year to examine public attitudes to child begging. Although most people surveyed had witnessed children begging, they were unsure exactly how to deal with the issue.
In response to the survey, the ISPCC is publishing a leaflet outlining guidelines for the public on how to understand and deal with child begging.
The leaflet will be distributed in Dublin over the coming weeks and will be available from all ISPCC centres.