‘65 beggars of Arab nationalities detained in Zarqa’

AMMAN — The anti-vagrancy department in Zarqa Governorate has detained 65 beggars of Arab nationalities, most of whom are women and children, an official said on Saturday.

Zarqa Social Development Director Jiryes Ammari said a committee — which comprises members from the Social Development Ministry, the Public Security Department and the governorate, detained the beggars, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

“One of the detained beggars is a woman in a wheelchair who hired a person to help move her from one place to another, and she pays him JD20 per day,” Ammari told Petra.

The Social Development Ministry’s anti-vagrancy department has detained 1,622 beggars across the Kingdom since the beginning of the year.

Of those detained, 1,277 are adults, with 722 women and 555 men, while the rest are teenage boys and girls, Fawaz Ratrout, the ministry’s spokesperson, said in remarks made last week.

The ministry said 8 per cent of the detained beggars are non-Jordanians without elaborating on their nationalities.

Approximately 1,323 beggars were apprehended during the first two weeks of Ramadan, 129 of whom (10 per cent) are Syrians.

Adult beggars detained by authorities are referred to police stations and then to court in accordance with the Penal Code, while juveniles are referred to care centres affiliated with the ministry, where they are rehabilitated.

Ammari warned against people who illegally collect donations through vouchers with no ministry seal on them, reiterating the importance of checking vouchers before donating, Petra reported.