‘Public sympathy, poor legal enforcement hinder crackdown on beggars’

AMMAN — The public’s sympathy with beggars and the poor enforcement of legal penalties are the main obstacles to government efforts to fight begging, an official said on Sunday.

Officers from the Ministry of Social Development were urged to “have some sympathy” and to “leave the poor beggars alone” while working in the capital’s Sweifieh neighbourhood on Saturday, said Maher Kloub, the head of the ministry’s anti-vagrancy department. 

In spite of numerous awareness campaigns by the ministry to inform the public that beggars are not in need but choose to beg as a profession, Jordanians still feel that beggars need financial help, Kloub told The Jordan Times. 

According to Kloub, one beggar was recently apprehended with $1,000 (around JD710) and JD50. 

But even when detained, the families or recruiters of beggars bail them out because it is more profitable to keep them on the streets.

Underage beggars tend to be pardoned immediately, while adults are referred to courts but are also usually pardoned the next day, said Kloub, who added that some beggars return to beg on the streets the moment they leave the police station.

Another issue is the lack of institutional cooperation, he noted, adding that the Greater Amman Municipality and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs should take part in detention campaigns.

The ministries of education and awqaf bear the responsibility of raising awareness, while the Planning and International Cooperation Ministry can help create projects to reduce poverty, he said.

The official noted that the proper collection of zakat money could reduce poverty rates and the need for begging, referring to the Islamic tax on income. 

Some people beg out of genuine need, but many take it up as a profession to collect money, Kloub added. 

The Social Development Ministry faces financial challenges in fighting begging, he said, citing understaffed inspection campaigns and a lack of vehicles. 

"It is a vicious circle," he concluded.

Over 200 beggars have been detained since the beginning of Ramadan last Monday, with a daily average of 40 to 50. So far this year, around 2,500 beggars have been detained.

Over 5,300 beggars were detained in 2015, most of whom were Jordanian.