Macedonia I was abandoned by my mum!

March 7, 2009

Comment: The potential danger therefore, lies in the fact that this lifestyle could become a vicious circle due to the little or no authority of the social care centres.

Although these centres do their best to keep child beggars off the streets, these children keep coming back to the same abusive parents, all thanks to the existing laws that govern the judiciary. Revoking parental rights is the least recommended measure, which, according to the author of this text, is a shortcoming of the legal system. Such deficiencies should be corrected, especially since practice shows that there are numerous cases when parents have retained their rights over the child, despite the hard evidence of the existence of abuse – and the article lists a few. The author further discloses one additional problem – the fact that many of these child beggars have no identification documents, which imposes additional impediments in trying to restore their lives. Besides the gory details the article also lists positive approaches, like the opening of a day care centre for child beggars.

A thorough analysis, rich in facts and examples. The fact that Macedonia is home to many child beggars is old news, but the author still manages to shock the reader with the figures which are considerably higher than anticipated. The emotions of the reader are stirred by the gory details of cases which social workers have witnessed. However, the journalist does not stop here and is trying hard to locate the root of this complex problem. It points out how the legal system – which protects the right of parents – and rightly so – finally prevents social services from properly protecting the children from exploitation.

(This Press review is under the framework of EIDHR funded project, implemented jointly with Open Gate-La Strada)