Children asking for coins

[va2ba]

Something interesting happened to us yesterday and I thought I would share it here.

We were in Caballito yesterday and my fiancee started to feel very ill, so we stopped so she could sit and rest for a while. We had not been sitting for more than 2 minutes when a kid came up and said something to us.

This alarmed her and she got up and asked him what he said. This time he only said "a coin." I gave him a few cents and he went on his way.

She told me that when he came up to us he told her to give him something or else he was going to "cut her up." This may not be the exact translation, but thats the main point of what he said.

This kid could not have been more than 10 years old. I can't say whether he actually had a knife or would have done anything, but it's something to think about. Not all of these kids asking for coins are harmless.

I will say that this area where this happened is supposed to be very safe. We were only 2 blocks away from Parque Centenario.

 

[French jurist]

Is your fiancee Argentinean ? Are you sure he said something like "te voy a cortar" ?
At worse he might have been imitating older brothers. I'd say nothing to worry about.

I never give coins to kids as a rule of thumb, only to elder people, discapacitated, eventually to -apparentely- single mothers.

The only guys I am worried about are the young guys addicted to Paco or sniffing glue.

 

[va2ba]

Yes she is Argentine, and sure we can assume that he wasn't going to do anything. But say we made the assumption and something did happen. He was persistent. He didn't leave until I gave him 10 cents.

 

[arty]

I never give money out, don't need to encourage them. And if a 10 year old tried to slash me, he better have a heck of a slice, otherwise.....

 

[allcraz]

Something similar happened to a group of 5 girls I was with in a park in Palermo several years ago. We were walking to find a spot to sit down, and a kid about that age (8, 9, 10) just walked up into the middle of us and said exactly that: "Dame una moneda o te corto/pincho." Wasn't sure I had heard right, and I was startled/scared, but the girls I was with were Argentine and completely ignored him as if he wasn't walking right there with us and he just walked away after a few seconds. Yet they assured me that I had heard correctly.

 

[va2ba]

The only reason I bring it up is because crime is getting out of control and no one really knows what to expect.

And unfortunately, a lot of people use kids to steal money or hurt people because anyone under 18 cannot be punished under Argentine law.