Abstract

The study explored general public attitudes and opinions about the migrant children begging in Ghanaian capital cities such as Accra, including the socio-economic factors, cultural views, and issues related to the phenomenon. Qualitative approach was employed in the research with case study based on interviews, discussions in focus groups, and observations of the participants; community members, business owners, social workers, law enforcement officials, and migrant families as the subjects of the study. The results indicated that poverty, rural-urban migration, family disintegration, and socio-economic vulnerable are some of the factors which caused child begging. Social opinions were split: some people considered child beggars to be innocent victims of the situation who needed the help and support, others regarded it as a nuisance that distracts the city order and other business activities. On these findings, the research suggests that child begging can be dealt with on a multi-stakeholder basis. Some of the strategies would involve building the family support schemes, improving the child welfare, enforcing child protection laws, building partnership between the NGOs and government agencies and raising public awareness. The research paper ends by recommending sustainable policy models and more research on the long-term reintegration mechanisms of child beggars.