lcuy

This was posted by "Think Twice Cambodia" and shared by thePLF.org on their facebook page:

<b>We all have choices. Make the right one.</b>
by Think Twice Cambodia

<b>Don’t put children at risk</b>
Buying from or giving to street children not only keeps them on the streets trapped in a cycle of poverty, but denies them their basic international rights and keeps them at risk for several reasons:

<b> Denial of education and full potential</b>
A child’s education is an investment in their future potential and paves the way for them to access successful employment as adults. Without this basic right and opportunity to learn, there is little hope of Cambodia’s street children ever earning a decent salary.

- <B>Child labour exploitation</b>
Do you think the child selling postcards actually sees any of the money they make? A significant proportion of the money collected by street vending children directly benefits an adult as well as having to cover the costs of the products they are pedalling. For all of the child’s illegal long hours and efforts, what real benefit does it bring them?

<b> Sexual exploitation and trafficking</b>
Children on the streets, especially those at night, are in explicit danger from sexual predators and human traffickers, many of whom are drawn here specifically because children are so readily accessible on the streets. Some children are also specifically targeted for trafficking into commercial begging groups which may later progress into sex work.

Buying a postcard from a street child may seem harmless enough at that moment, but we urge you to STOP. Think twice. Realise that what you are doing in the longer term is to actually keep this child in a life of danger and poverty. Do you still want to buy from them?

We all have choices. Make the right one.

Cattail

lcuy, excellent post. Thanks for sharing. I think that most folks engage with street kids out of compassion, so it helps to understand what's happening. We're so accustomed to buying lemonade from our neighbor's kids, we might not otherwise give a second thought to buying a postcard from a child. I appreciate your sharing this realistic take on street kids in Cambodia, which applies in general to so many area of the world, I think.

Taking this a step further, also do not pay to feed the street elephants or monkeys.These poor creatures are often abused and neglected, then forced to beg for their dinner as a means of raising income for their manouts or owners.

rhkkmk

imo, this is a little overboard.... sorry lcuy

dgunbug

Not sure if this is true or not. We saw street kids in siem reap who wore school uniforms and sold postcards. We were told that the income they made helped support their education. These children did not appear to be starving.

Hanuman

We, in Thailand, get a lot of professional Cambodian beggars both children and adult. Most are with organized groups who stake out the usual tourist haunt. Best to avoid and don't buy anything or give any money.

If you want to give to the children in need then go directly and give it to the school(s) or orphanage NEVER give to begging or buy anything from children on the street IMO.

thursdaysd

Much better to give them food if you feel you have to give. I hardly ever give to beggars, just to an occasional very old person (I give to a charity instead, usually one involved in educating kids), but I did give food to the street children in Cambodia.

HappyTrvlr

When a tourist buys from a street kid, it keeps them out of school and on the streets. We were told over and over by our guides in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand not to buy from these kids for their own good.

lcuy

In America, we think it is cute when children set up lemonade stands or sell Girl Scout cookies, This is because it is so unusual to see children working! In addition, lemonade stands are typically stocked by loving parents and run on Saturday or during summer vacation. The neighbors buy the juice, then the kids take the money and run off to Funworld to spend it.

In Cambodia, those cute kids in school uniforms are hired out by their parents for next to nothing. The person who hires them (often the uniformed temple guards) get all the profits. The kids are not going to school. Cambodian schools do NOT raise money this way.

Nobody cares that very young kids are selling trinkets down at the Pub street bars at 10 pm. Nobody, that is except the sex tourists.

Why not do something that helps end this type of exploitation? Give to reputable organizations that work to educate children in school, so they can break this cycle of poverty.

sf7307

Before we left on our trip last March, I read an admonition on Fodors to avoid buying things from street children in Cambodia (it may have been your post lcuy). It was so hard to NOT buy things from them -- because they're so darned cute. But we had steely resolve, and instead donated to PLF some electronics they needed ---- and we know that they're being used to educate the children. I still felt bad when those kids (and their mothers) would follow us to our tuk-tuk....

Femi

I think it would be hard to categorize all street kids into one.

I asked one of the street kids in Cambodia why he wasn't in school. He practically rolled his eyes at me as he reminded me it was the weekend! He was able to give me a pretty detailed answer about his curriculum as we chatted.

Lots of kids around the world are only in school for a half day. They spend the other half selling trinkets. One young lady in Guatemala who was trying to sell scarves was enrolled in a correspondence course for a Master's degree!

I don't deny that there may be less innocent goings-on behind some scenes, but it does not seem to be the case with most situations. I also look around and do what the locals do; a few have favorite kids that they patronize.

filmwill

Great post, lcuy! And thanks to the PLF for pointing out that things aren't always as they seem when it comes to kids. As Cattall points out, if you want to give and make a difference, do it through an organization!

kuluk

At the Land-Mine Museum in Cambodia there is a sign in the gift shop that says, (paraphrase) Please do not give to beggars. If you give them money when they beg that becomes their job and they do not go to school." Of course, they are mostly talking about the kids in their care, who are clothed and fed by the organization.

I would also add that not every organization is as altruistic as they may seem at first glance, so if you do give to an NGO or orphanage do try to check them out first. Many of the vendors in Cambodia take great pains to explain whey they do NOT affiliate with NGOs, as so many NGO's are doing a better job enriching themselves than helping others. I am not saying all orphanages or NGOs are doing that, just some. Even the sports charities in the US, with one notable recent example, may bear some closer research.

dgunbug

Icuy - thanks for this post. We will keep this in mind in the future and only give food or goods to the children that can only be used by them, saving our money to give to charities.