Bali Begging Street Kids

pollyanna

pollyanna

Member
Here’s an article I ran across this morning in the Bali Discovery Tours newsletter. When I pass the begging street children I feel helpless, frustrated, and guilty because I do not give them money. It seems to me that handouts to them only encourages a terrible situation. (I live in Indonesia so the fact that it is also illegal doesn’t bother me at all.) Paying into that downward spiral of a child’s life seems like a cheap way to alleviate my guilt.

So, when I read the article I got excited about a way to help these kids in a positive way. Now when I pass a beggar with a sleeping baby (why are those babies never, ever awake?) I know what to do. When I get home I can send money to the charity described in the news article. They even accept PayPal so it’s easy to give even small amounts of money.

Does anyone have any more information about the YKPA?
 
Here is another charity doing the same thing:

The Safe Childhoods Foundation

Safe Childhoods Foundation envision a Future where all children are supported by strong Child Protection systems that Prevent & Protect them from being hurt
safechildhoods.org safechildhoods.org
 
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(why are those babies never, ever awake?)

Oh I have seen them being woken, by there much older co-workers (all of 6 to 8) by pinching there cheeks hard when the traffic lights turn red to make them cry!or dirtying them up in the nearby drain.In hope of attracting a little more money,,I too feel totally helpless,,unlike their bosses who sleep the night away behind the the huge mega company billboards on Sunset road,while hoards of serious looking police stand close by smoking ciggies and watching the traffic.I saw 9 kids the other night,in the rain and 3 of them wouldve been around 6 months old. I even saw one of the women behind the sign slap a young girls face hard because she didnt want to go out in the rain.usually my faith in the human spirit remains in tact but to see this and soo many police witness this on a daily basis, articles in local papers,yet still this happens???.Its great there is an orginisation who cares.Maybe the huge investors who put these massive un sightly billboards everywhere could throw a little cash there way too_Or maybe the leechers who run this racket could be out there cleaning motorists windscreens and actually do something for the money,and leave the kids at home instead of hiding behind billboards on there fat arses!exploiting children:hopelessness:
 
The "rent-a-baby and go begging" scenario has been around for a long time. Most often it's "organised" by unsavoury people.
They find poor women from poor villages and somehow collect and station them, usually around traffic lights. It's never been clear to me where the babies really come from.

Many of these women find themselves a long way from their home villages, with no easy means to escape. It's not that much different from sexual slavery.
Disgusting, immoral, call it what you will. That police don't seem to get involved is another mystery.

That shouldn't come as a big surprise when even many of the current Bali governor's pronouncements on various matters seem to be summarily ignored.
It's been said that Balinese are kind of "lawless". They don't give a stuff about so-called "laws", unless they come from their banjars.
I mean by that that banjars seem to be more powerful than laws meant for everybody.

One could well ask why certain banjars either allow, or turn a blind eye to their women getting "jobs" as beggars? Sadly, it's probably all about money.

I still see children as young as eight, or so, riding motorbikes with immunity, everday of the week.
That must mean that the parents don't give a rat's arse about "road laws", and the police don't care (too hard to extract a fine/bribe from a kid?).

Those kids should be stopped, the motorbikes confiscated on the spot, and the owners/parents arrested. I'm sure they'll be the first to cry foul when a serious accident happens.

I believe there are also "free-lance beggars", so to speak, doing it alone. Many of them earn more money than a typical farmer, or people in other legitimate occupations.

There are poor people in Bali. How to tell between genuine and fake ones is not always easy.
I suggest that responsibilty for them rests primarily with the Bali government, police and banjars. There are many worthwhile groups taking up the slack, and most deserve all the support they can get.

The bottom line? Don't feel guilty. Join or support an organisation that's doing what the local administration should be doing for their own people. Or start your own.

:icon_cry:
 
"It's never been clear to me where the babies really come from." Quote Johnny cool.
I have been told that the begging women are generally not related to the children. But are childminders who look after/rent the children from their working mothers/agents by the day or week. Heard the going rate is around 10,000 IDR a day. I suppose you get it more in the bigger citys and towns where there is less support from family and friends as there is in the villages. Sadly not much in the way of childcare for poor low paid working women and this is one of the very few options for them.
 
The babies are often drugged. They rub a concoction on their gums that makes them sleep. Even sadder. Wats worse-the I donesian lady who was running english classes on kuta beach for street children has now been closed down by officials because it was unsightly. It took her months to befriend the kids. Months to convince their bosses that english would actually "help them beg more efficiently" smart woman! N now gone. It's a difficult problem street kids n very sad.
 
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