The Kids Are Not Alright

One has to be cautious in other countries while walking at night. It is best to avoid dark alleys, unlit streets, groups of young men and unlicensed taxis. But in Peru, there is another group that you are best to avoid as well- children.

Yes, kids are dangerous in Cusco.

A girl in traditional clothes who takes photos for money; too young to be a threat

A combination of poverty and lack of parental supervision has lead to a lethal mix. Children who are in desperate situations turn to selling cigarettes and gum to people coming out of the bars. Selling is not the only thing they are doing though, they have much worse intentions, robbing people.

I have been in Cusco for only two and a half weeks, but yet I have had two negative experiences with these "gangs" of children. They congregate in groups so that they can team up on their victims and find strength in numbers. Being so young, these children are fearless.

The first time I saw them in action they pick-pocketed an Israeli friend of mine. They offered him gum and when he said no, a group of children maybe 6 or 7 years old gave him a group hug and sure enough when he felt his back pocket there was no wallet. He realized and was able to get it back by intimidating the children.

My second encounter with them was last night. Walking home from the bars on a normally safe street, we were, as usual, accosted with offers of gum immediately upon exiting the bar onto the street. This encounter turned unusual when the group of three children continued to follow us on our way home. Their attitude turned sour and they started yelling at us and demanding that we give them money. One child grabbed my wristlet and camera, but since they were wrapped around my wrist they didn't succeed in robbing me. Then the oldest of the kids, maybe 10, picked up a giant rock and started threatening the boy in our group. At this point I felt a mix of fear, shock and confusion as I ran up to the door of our residence and rang the bell 4 times to get the night worker to let us in. Finally, we arrived inside our residence and were all in a state of shock over what had just occurred.

A testament to how these kids are not afraid of taking risks, they pick-pocketed a 6'2 man and attacked group of four people. Obviously these kids are in a very desperate situation if they are willing to take such risks. It is an incredibly sad situation that needs to be addressed. I am glad that they didn't have knives or other weapons, but I imagine it is only a matter of time until they do. When they get older they are going to be a huge problem for this tourist mecca. It is an incredibly precarious situation that really needs attention.

If you ever find yourself in Cusco, please use caution when walking home at night. Cuidate porque los niños son malos. Clearly the kids are not alright.