Child Beggars in Bulgaria's Capital 'Numbering 400'

Society | July 28, 2014, Monday // 10:30
Bulgaria: Child Beggars in Bulgaria's Capital 'Numbering 400' Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

Over 400 children can be found begging in the streets of the Bulgarian capital Sofia, data from the Sofia Municipality has shown.

The figures have been registered during the Mobile Work with Children in the Street project launched at the Municipality in 2010, according to the information cited by the Bulgarian daily Monitor.

Thirty-six children have been saved from begging since the beginning of this year, with five of them currently accommodated in orphanages, Monitor reports.

It quotes social workers, who explain that "a vast part" of kids caught begging were forced by their parents to do so.

As an "interesting" detail they point that most of the children falling into that category are not from minority groups, but rather Bulgarians.

"[Some kids] admitted they had occasionally earned over 1000 monthly from begging. The money was taken away by their parents. Children were just glad they were not hungry. Their relatives however did not give them too many titbits lest they put on too much weight and stop arousing pity," social workers added.

Most of the child beggars are concentrated in Sofia's downtown regions such as Sredets, Lozenets and Triaditsa.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!

Society » Be a reporter: Write and send your article
Tags: child beggars, sofia, Sredets, Lozenets, Triaditsa, Sofia Municipality, Mobile Work with Children in the Street

Advertisement
Advertisement
Bulgaria news Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "Sofia Morning News." Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) and Sofia Morning News publish the latest economic, political and cultural news that take place in Bulgaria. Foreign media analysis on Bulgaria and World News in Brief are also part of the web site and the online newspaper. News Bulgaria