AMMAN — A rise in the number of beggars in Jordan could be attributed to a host of factors; poverty, economic challenges, unemployment, and the impact of COVID-19, but a new phenomenon has been growingly noticeable of late, according to social experts, and that is a change in social values and behavior, where individuals demonstrate loss of dignity and shame.
اضافة اعلان
In 2021, more than 13,000 beggars were arrested, compared to 5,465 in 2020, and 4,135 in 2019, according to the director of the Ministry of Social Development’s Anti-begging Department, Maher Klob.
This year’s numbers include 7,981 children across the Kingdom, according to the ministry’s secretary-general, Barq Dmour.
The arrests were carried out by the ministry’s staff and partner bodies, spearheaded by the Public Security Department and Governorates, Dmour told Jordan News.
According to case studies conducted by the ministry’s personnel, only 1 percent of arrested beggars were in a real need to beg. Around 60 percent of arrested beggars were on a repeated offense arrest, said Dmour.
Anthropologist Kamal Merza said that the reason behind the increase in the number of panhandlers is the decline in moral values related to earning money. “This phenomenon is found in all countries and societies. In Jordan, it has not reached a threatening stage to the fabric of the Jordanian society, contrary to other offenses like racketeering,” said Merza.
However, he cautioned that some beggars have been adopting new methods that could pose a threat to others, like entering shops, knocking on doors, or being extremely pushy, urging the need to reinstall social values through long-term plans that alter the behavior of those beggars.
Rula Sawalqah, an associate professor in Clinical Sociology at the University of Jordan, said that begging is a social phenomenon that results from several factors, like poverty and unemployment, lack of personal potentials and intellectual abilities, and is encouraged by a “generous culture that “does not say no to someone who asks for money.”
According to Sawalqah, other reasons that push individuals to the streets to beg is school dropout, lack of good nurturing, and abuse by family members, “whereby some parents allow or encourage their children to go on the streets to beg.”
Sawalqah called for raising awareness among parents to protect children from acquiring this habit, which damages their outlook to earning money and destroys their future prospects.
Begging has become a profession and an organized act for some families or social groups, who follow a “special” culture that opposes society, Sawalqah added.
She called upon the concerned authorities to make studies and data on beggars in Jordan accessible to scholars to facilitate further research on the phenomenon.
Under Article 389 of the Jordanian Penal Code, begging by adults is considered a crime and is subject to fine or imprisonment.
First-time offenders “shall be punished for a period not to exceed three months or the court may decide to refer him/her to any institution designated by the minister of social development and which provide care for beggars for a period not less than a year and not more than three years”, states the Code.
Juveniles are referred by the ministry to specialized centers for protection and rehabilitation.
Rujainah, a beggar who seemed to be in her twenties, but did not know how old she was when asked about her age, said that she was divorced and had nobody to help her, not even her family. She told Jordan News that she was aware that she could get arrested and imprisoned if she was caught, however, she said that she had no other choice but to beg for a living.
While talking to Rujainah, more beggars started to gather; they were her brothers, sisters, and other relatives.
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