‘Street alms groom criminals’

Police in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe have said giving out money to street children is the same as breeding future criminals who will terrorise the world when they grow up.

Kanengo Police child protection officer Dorothy Chingaipe said this on Tuesday in Lilongwe at a meeting organised by Fountain of Life (FOL) to expose what the police are doing in addressing gender-based violence (GBV).

“By giving them some cash, they [street children] tend to believe that life is cheap and they don’t see the significance of school. Don’t be surprised if these same children break into your homes and kill you when they grow. This is because they got used to begging when young and resort to stealing,” said Chingaipe.

FOL coordinating and advocacy officer Lusungu Kalanga said FOL strives to address such challenges.

“We are working towards building our partnership to ensure that those children in the streets are assisted and sent back to school.

FOL, a humanitarian organisation founded four years ago seeks to curb abuses in women and children.