Tuesday 16 March 2010

Begging


Begging (or panhandling) is to request a donation in a supplicating manner. Beggars are commonly found in public places such as street corners or public transport, where they request money, most commonly in the form of spare change. They may use cups, boxes or hats to collect the donations. (wikipedia.com)

I'll show you some ways of begging and how to deal with it.

Child begging

Child labour in terms of begging is used as a profession by insecure group of people that forces children to beg. A child can earn maximum money by begging. They show burns on their faces and hands so they can earn more. As they grow older their earnings decrease, which gets most of them involve in robbery and prostitution. Child begging is the exploitation of children for money making reasons. Most of the people view it as way of relief for their hunger and unsatisfied needs. Earlier people believed that beggars were be physically disabled people who could not find work so they have to beg for their survival. However it has been noticed that nowadays that majority of them are physically normal children but due to their un-hygienic condition they may prone to get health problems.



Begging in th Internet

Begging like other activities has also adapted to the net taking on an "e-panhandling" role. Instead of begging on the streets, cyber panhandlers set up a website where they "beg" for money. Later variants tried to request money for their personal needs that were beyond their financial ability with some success. Begging has also become commonplace in the chatrooms of various gambling and poker websites. In poker sites, one will frequently see someone claiming that they are so good at the game that if someone lends $10, that it will be back to the lender with interest in a very short period of time. These may be desperate gaming addicts who have run dry, or they may not gamble at all and simply withdraw the money for their own use. Players of online games may beg for in-game currency, such as Gold in MMOs or Lindens in Second Life, which can be converted to real world currency.

Begging as profession in India

The beggars are fairly well-organized although they not unionized. They view new beggars with suspicion and try to find out his/her depth by typical questionnaires. They have a means of estimating and budgeting income and expenses. A small town beggar has a hard time to raise two to three Rupees per day while a city beggar can easily earn ten bucks. During the festivals, they could earn as much as thirty Rupees (the time of this writing). For commoners, this may look like a paltry sum, but we have to understand that the beggars do not have any expenses. No rent, no groceries to buy. The leftovers from the hotels is their dinner; else every beggar typically has a godmother who never refuses food for him/her. The roadside food courts typically provide discount prices to beggars. They travel in buses which have friendly conductors, without tickets and they always know that temples/churches/railway stations can be used for toilet and sleeping. Since they do not have a safe place to keep money, they carry with them all the time.

Is there any solution for begging problem?

In Makassar (Indonesia), for instance, citizens are banned from giving money to beggars. China and France have considered moving beggars permanently (though not into shelters or social service programs that work on root issues of begging and related social problems).

More innovative programs have been implemented, including street collection boxes in Aberdeen, Scotland, though many end in failure.


Still, Mexico City thinks it’s come up with the solution for street begging and the moral discomfort it raises in the prospective giver. The program “El amor nos une,” or “Love will unite us,” lets those who are tired of or uncomfortable with cash donations give coupons instead. The coupons, which the recipient can redeem for food, can be purchased at grocery stores throughout the city. Similar programs exist in Colombia and are planned for Chile.

In UK begging is illegal under the Vagrancy Act of 1824. However it does not carry a jail sentence and is not well enforced in many cities, although since the Act applies in all public places it is enforced more frequently on public transport.

If you are interested in this problem read the article about helping without giving money - http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2008/07/08/10-ways-you-can-help-street-children-without-giving-money

Do you support beggars on the street? Maybe you have idea how the goverment should deal with that problem?

21 comments:

  1. It's sad because there're lots of beggears in Warsaw and you never know if such person really has no money and is forced to beg or is just a cheat... I'm in shock that begging can be threated as a profession. I can't imagine myself as a beggar. I know that there are different situations in life but for me it would be degrading and embarrassing... In my opinion the goverment definitely should do something with problem with begging.

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  2. I think, that not always it is possible to help for beggars. They sometimes beg in order to capture money to alcohol and drugs but not rather than for eating. Then we giving money the this sort of person we are killing her. Therefore I he is never giving money to beggars but he proposes them hot meals. If are refusing (sometimes swearing) namely aren't hungry.

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  3. I think that a lot off beggars cheat us. It is commonly believed that beggars who first ask us for help, after this going for beer or bottle of wine. They are very often rich, because they earn for life by begging. In my opinion they just don't want to work. Nowadays people are more reserved than before and don't giving money for beggars.

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  4. I usually don't give any change to beggars because I always suspect that they are untruthful and that they treat begging as a form of employment. I especially don't support child begging. I believe that giving money to small children only causes more problems and it doesn't provide a long-term solution to the problem of poverty. In my opinion giving money to child beggars makes more parents send their children to the streets to beg, once they see it is a easy way to gain money. Moreover it is harmful to the children, who often are not able to attend schools and must spend their whole days in very dangerous conditions.

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  5. You're right, supporting beggars by giving money to them doesn't change anything, it makes even worse.
    But to be honest, personally I have a problem with such situations. I mean when I'm asked for money and I just refuse to give it then I start to be conscience-stricken.
    On the other hand, as I said, my small change won't change that global problem.

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  6. I don't give money to beggars. I think in Poland even very poor and disabled people have chance to live in some public shelters. There are only few rules: no alcohol, no drugs. There are two groups of beggars in Poland: one are those who have problems with alcohol and drugs (so giving money for them is an act of stupidity), second group are professional beggars like this famous Gypsy women from Central Railway Station (if you think it's fair profession you can give her some money, but I don't recommend that). Moreover I know one good way how to unmasked someone who beggs for money for bread eg. You shouldn't give him money, you should propose him that you will buy him that bread. Generally in such situation that person wouldn't want your a bread...

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  7. I try not to support beggers with money, because I don't believe, that I really can help them this way. If I'll give them money and few people around will do the same, this 'business' will survive and develop. And I think, that many people in Poland share this oppinion - maybe that is why at Polish streets aren't as many beggers now as in 90's?

    However, I feel uneasy, when a Gypsy woman with a little child gets on the tram and asks for a cash. I don't think, that she can't afford to buy a bread (once I offered a sandwich to one of them - she refused), but I can imagine, how daunted and frustrated must she feel and how tired and - really! - poor that child is (as Monika said, he/she can't attend any school, can't live like other children and would always feel 'this worse' one).

    Many of beggers cheat, of course. But it doesn't change the fact, that situation of some of them can be really hard. So that, if I have something to eat, I usually offer it to them. It's easy and I feel better, but it's not always something that such a person really needs - e. g. my collegue was recently asked for some job offer.

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  8. There are many ways to help poor people, you just have to try to help them and find some way. A lot of organisations are specialized in helping beggars. First of all they give them food and some clothing and then, they try to find a job for them. Of coure not every beggar like those organisations help, but real poor and unhappy people do. I usually don't give money to beggars but sometimes if they ask me for two zlotych for beer i agree:)

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  9. Giving money to beegars, supporting charities or helping a neighbour in need is appreciated act of free will. Although I can see two main problems about it: firstly people helping beggars are often just comforting themselves and their conscience- and that's just being selfish. In other cases begging can be out of law- when beggar is agressive, iviolents your personal space or disturb you while taking money from ATM or is involved in mafia- this should be chased by authorities like any other crime.

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  10. I've often support beggars on the street. Now i know that most of them work for gangs, so i give up it. Once i've proposed to buy something to eat and the beggar refused it. It's natural behaviour for them. Nowadays I don't know who can I help for.

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  11. You know, one day I was in bus and the man with accordion got into. He played some tune and began to collect money. He got some coins, maybe 4 or 5 PLN. And I thought that even if he gets 2 PLN in every bus that he gets into and he can get into f.ex. 10 buses during an hour, he earns 20 PLN! It's more than f.ex. a waiter and he does it in much easier way!

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  12. In most cases people who really need support they are ashamed to beg for it. They try to find help through different ways. In Poland beegers are mostly lazy people who don't want to work because begging for them is easy money and they do not have to work so I don't support them.

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  13. You're right. But I detect one difference between play for money and begging. The man plays and wants pay for his talent. But extremaly poor people don't offer something, they cry out for money.
    Last holiday I was going by tram when one man got into it and started speaking about his situation. His flat was burnt and his family was in the special centre for homeless. He collected money for clothes and medicines for his son and wife. I remember he collected much money. And I wonder - why? Mayby his story was true? Or mayby he was a good actor? I don;t know why, but I got him some money, because I belived him. This man shows me that in some situation begging is only solution.

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  14. I agree with Jarek. Usually lazy people beg on the streets. There are many other ways to earn money (I mean working) even if you aren't well educated. That's why I never support beggars. People who are really in need ask specific organisations for help not passers-by.

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  15. I agree and also never support beggars. Few times I was in situation when it turned out that beggar only pretended to be poor. Also many beggars are alcoholics and they need money for alcohol and I won't support that. But sometimes when I see that someone really need help I help.

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  16. It is dubtful what kind of behaviour way accept in case of beggars,give them some money or not, or mayby try to help them in another way. There was a lot of situations when I defenatly know that person who was bagging was only exploiter. They are mostly persons in midle age(frequently with childrens)who have a strenght to find a normal job but they preffer begging. I don't give a money this kind of peoples but sometimes situation is more diffisult, especialy when I see old person, who look like sik or homeless. I know that it also may be a crook but sometimes I give them a money.

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  17. I think that it is a very big problem in our world. Beggars are a people who need help. But of course we don't know who really need this help and who want to only earn money. Child begging is the worst thing in this world, because a lot of people want to help children. But even if someone give them some money, they haven't it because they must return it to their parents.
    I think that it is only one way to help people by government - it is that it should make a new organisations, which will help people and beggars.

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  18. It's true that many people who are begging on the street are cheaters. They are making it harder for us to help those who really needs help (I strongly believe that in numerous group of beggers there is quite serious percentage of them).
    However, giving money isn't really great idea. Easy money increase helplessness. Social organizations can help but only a person who want their help. She/he has to go and ask for support and that isn't so easy as it seems for a person who doesn't believe that there is any other possibility to survive then begging. That is why giving money is't really helpful. If begger doesn't earn money on the street maybe he/she will try to find different way.
    The problem to not let them choose other easy way, the way of crime, might be solved by far-reaching goverments support for social organizations.

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  19. In Warsaw begging is very noticeable on the street especially in the center of the city. When I am going by tram from my home to the Central Station I always meet beggar. Frequently it is a gypsy woman with child. I never support them, because I have read some articles where was written that those people have enough money for leaving and begging is their way of life. On the other hand I often give money to person who is playing an instrument even as they aren't good. But it count that they work for, not just begging.

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  20. beggars nowadays are trying to make you feel uneasy by showing how life is unfair - you have everything and they have nothing. this usually works, because most people are social and feel somehow responsible for others (even totally unrelated).
    i don't. i live my own life, i don't want others to care for me and i don't care for other unrelated people.
    i have never given any money to a beggar, but twice i have bought someone a dinner. why? because they asked for it in a way that was very polite. this kind of beggars are very rare nowadays.

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  21. I have to admit that from time to time I give some coins to people who seems to me very pour... On the other hand I know that asking for money is the easiest way to earn. Among beggars there are a lot of cheaters and lazy peoples and it is difficult to guess who really need our help, who is unable to work or who is in such a bad life situation that begging is the only way to survive... This kind of situation makes people more ignores and lead that nobody wants to help...It is sad and cruel...

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