More than three-quarters of children begging on the streets of Dublin are members of the Travelling community, according to the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
In its annual report, Leanbh, the ISPCC agency set up to address child begging, found that the incidence of children begging had decreased by 25 per cent this year. However, the number of Traveller children begging remains high at 76 per cent. "Many of these children are living in appalling conditions on the worst halting sites. They move around a lot and often end up on the sides of dual carriageways," said Mr Paul Gilligan, ISPCC chief executive.
"The number of children begging is down, but we're trying to break years of behaviour within a family. It's more difficult to stop a child begging when the mother is still begging."
Sightings of children begging have fallen from 1,766 in 2001 to 1,322 in 2002. The exact number of child beggars is not known, because their families tend to move in and out of the city; however, the ISPCC estimates there were 40 to 60 children begging in Dublin at any one time this year.
Traveller families who beg face a bleak future, Mr Gilligan said, as they are socially isolated from their own communities. "Begging is not part of the Traveller culture and a lot of Travellers resent the destruction of their culture by families who beg."
Ms Colette Murray, childcare co-ordinator with Pavee Point Travellers' Centre, said she was surprised the majority of children begging were Travellers, but the lack of services was compounding the problem. "There is a general lack of accommodation and other culturally appropriate services in place to support these families.
"There is a respected tradition of call-back begging - begging from house to house - and Travellers are proud of that because it comes from the bartering tradition, but begging in the street is frowned upon.
"It's the minority of families within the community who beg on the street and they tend to be families in crises." Trespass legislation had worsened conditions for those vulnerable families, she added.
Since it was established in 1997 Leanbh has helped 62 children to give up begging. In 2003, the service plans to open a day centre for families who beg, using funding from the Pennies From Heaven appeal.
