Blonde Beggar Girl in Mexico Stirs Controversy

A Blond Girl Beggar in Mexico Captured Attention

At one of the known busy crossroads in Mexico, a girl in a ponytail hair so innocently looks at people as she opens her hands and beg for coins. Her nails are dirty and her pink shirt looks unwashed for days. Though it may fit on thousands of impoverished Mexican children who sell gum or beg for money in the streets, this particular is different because she is blonde.

The outbreak of internet attention to the photo, and the quick way officials reacted, have renewed a debate about racism in Mexico, a nation that is proud of its mestizo heritage but where millions of indigenous people live in poverty and passers-by often barely notice the dark-skinned children begging in the street.

It started last week when a Facebook user posted a photo of the girl standing next to a rearview mirror on a Guadalajara street. He suspected she might have been stolen because "her parents are brown," and said he had already contacted a welfare agency and state prosecutors.

"Let's spread this photo around," he wrote.

Tens of thousands shared the photo of the golden-haired, green-eyed girl and dozens commented on it, some thanking him, others complaining the post was racist.

The child's grandmother – who also has green eyes – was able to hand over the birth certificate of the girl. Gonzalez said the there were no signs the girl had been kidnapped, though DNA results are pending. Authorities say they are also considering charges of child exploitation.

"We need to see a white girl to worry about kidnapping, trafficking of children and child exploitation. I've never seen photos of Indian children or simply dark-skinned kids circulating on the Internet with people asking others to help them," wrote human rights activist Yali Noriega in her blog.

Posted by James Fried on Tuesday October 30 2012, 9:37 AM EST. Ref: Reuters. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0