VOA常速英语:Activists Seek End to Child Begging ’Culture’ in Nigeria(翻译)

These boys are learning to memorize the Koran here at a traditional Islamic school called tsangaya.They were sent here by their parents who live far away.And as part of the tradition, they are required to beg for food.

"Begging is luck, sometimes you get food immediately when you go out. Sometimes you don’t."

Thousands of koranic students are on the streets begging everyday in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital. For decades, the almajiris(child beggars)have been a normal part of life here. But these days, more people see them as nuisance.

Cultural historian Bulama Mali Gubio says the practice has got out of hand.

Young kids at the age of five, six, seven have been dropped in Maiduguri here in the thousands. They have no parents, no teacher, no guardian, nobody to take care of them.

Activists estimate there are more than 5 million almajiris in Nigeria.

Usman Mohammed was almajiri many years ago, these days he is trying to reform the system.

"If they are begging, some people will beat them, harass them, abuse them, all kind of insult.They have been experiencing all kinds of humiliation."

Mohammed goes around the city to find almajiris. One teacher Umar Mohammed, has more than 100 students under his care.He says that forcing children to beg is un-Islamic, but necessary.

"This tradition has been around since our grandparents, so you can’t just wake up and condemn it."

But more people are condemning it. Mohammed Keana is an activist in the Nigerian capital of Abuja.

"How some prominent people—religious political and traditional rulers— from the northern part of the country to speak on it.Let’s have their position on camera. Are you in support of this? Do you condemn it? Let him condemn it on camera.You know, and once we have that, we can drive citizens,you know, to rally the government you know,to have it take major policies, you know that will bring an end to this system."

Ending the system means challenging deeply entrenched tradition.It’s only after a long day in the streets that these that these almajiris put down their begging bowls.