After campaigns to combat the phenomenon... beggars are finding new ways

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[size=52]After campaigns to combat the phenomenon... beggars are finding new ways[/size]

[size=45]The phenomenon of begging is one of the features of poverty and destitution in many areas. It exists and is not a new phenomenon in Iraqi society, but in recent years it has turned into something similar to a trade run by mafias that exploit people with special needs, including children.[/size]
[size=45]The recent period has witnessed a noticeable spread of people, most of whom practice begging using new tools that passersby are not familiar with. The beggar is no longer content to stand or sit at traffic lights, intersections and streets waiting for someone to extend a helping hand to him, but has become closer to assuming many roles.[/size]
[size=45]Three categories[/size]
[size=45]Many beggars in Iraq are inventing new ways to escape the control of the security forces and their campaigns to combat them. Some of them beg by wiping the windows of passing cars without asking the car owner’s permission. In addition, there are those who sell chewing gum and others who pretend to be sick in the streets, while others are creative in a new way, which is stopping cars and asking their owners to take them to a certain place. After that, the beggar asks the owner of the car to give him a sum of money because he lives in one of the governorates and does not have the transportation fare.[/size]
[size=45]The phenomenon of begging is a problem that requires legal and realistic solutions and increased awareness among citizens not to sympathize with these categories of beggars, in addition to the combined efforts of all relevant institutions to combat this scourge, stressing the importance of reaching solutions and applicable procedures in the coming short period.[/size]
[size=45]For his part, the concerned social researcher, Ali Al-Khafaji, confirmed that the file of beggars is complex and large, and no specific party alone can address it.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Khafaji said, “There are many reasons behind the spread of the phenomenon of begging in Iraq, the most prominent of which are poverty, the need for a living, and unemployment,” in addition to “psychological reasons, including the individual’s feeling of deprivation, the need for money, and his desire to obtain it in an easy way by begging for people’s emotions.”[/size]
[size=45]He added that "the absence of security follow-up, the absence of clear laws that deter beggars and child traffickers, poor upbringing, the spread of illiteracy, the deprivation of children from education and their dropping out of schools, family disintegration and the absence of social justice are basic factors in the spread of this phenomenon."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Khafaji divides beggars into three categories; the first are the poor who did not receive salaries from social welfare, and those displaced from conflict zones in Iraq and Syria. The second category are the swindlers who use clever tricks to gain favor and sympathy,” indicating that “the third category is the most dangerous, and they are the gangs that manage most of the begging operations by hiring children and women and exploiting them in the begging process, which is considered human trafficking.”[/size]
[size=45]Stylish beggar[/size]
[size=45]While others are skilled in more effective begging methods, some of them throw themselves in front of the cart and claim harm, threatening the owner of the cart with legal and tribal lawsuits or giving him a sum of money, while others dress up in an elegant manner by claiming that their money was stolen or lost and asking for money from passersby.[/size]
[size=45]In this regard, the spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, Muqdad Miri, confirmed that the Minister of Interior has assigned the Human Trafficking Authority and the provincial police to follow up on this file seriously through daily and weekly campaigns to eliminate this phenomenon.[/size]
[size=45]Miri explained that “the campaign targets beggars, whether they are Iraqi or of other nationalities, without exception,” noting that “there are many control measures, including tightening at border crossings and airports.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, "These measures aim to limit the entry of these elements into the country," noting that the measures taken by the Ministry of Interior consist of following up on the file of those entering the country and the expiration of their residencies."[/size]
[size=45]Baghdad Al-Rusafa Police Command announced the implementation of a security campaign to arrest beggars and homeless people.[/size]
[size=45]The command stated in a previous statement that “the detachments of the Baghdad Al-Rusafa Police Command carried out a campaign to arrest beggars and homeless people at intersections and public places in various areas of Al-Rusafa.”[/size]
[size=45]She added, "31 beggars, both male and female, were arrested and handed over to police stations."[/size]
[size=45]Electronic begging[/size]
[size=45]Observers have monitored the fraudulent methods of beggars, which develop according to the seasons, occasions and seasons of the year, and often have an impact on others who take the initiative to help. The most prominent of these methods are on religious occasions and holidays, but there is another form of begging that is contemporary with technological development in Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]Social media sites in Iraq have become a new tool for begging, illegal gain, fraud and deception, whether by organized crime gangs or ordinary people, after begging was limited to roads and public streets.[/size]
[size=45]These days, begging takes a different form that can be called “electronic begging” by posting videos or photos to collect donations for various humanitarian causes.[/size]
[size=45]The economic crisis, as well as wars, displacement and migration in the country in recent years, have contributed greatly to the expansion of the circle of begging in all its forms, in addition to the increase in the unemployment rate, which has pushed many young people, widows and divorced women to beg.[/size]
[size=45]Recently, many people have fallen victim to fraud and scams after people begged them through videos and photos of humanitarian cases or patients suffering from incurable diseases that require huge sums of money to treat them, only to find out later that it was nothing but fraud.[/size]
[size=45]Iraqi laws prohibit the phenomenon of begging, and the penalty for it is imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months for anyone who has reached the age of 18 and practices begging on public roads.[/size]
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