In Goa, it is not an uncommon sight to see many people begging on the roads, near-religious places of worship, outside bazaars, or in the parking lots. In a not-so-surprising turn of events, the number of beggars seems to be increasing every day and that is creating a big nuisance for the people of the society. How Do you deal with them?
Begging has been existent from time immemorial in our society. It is often blamed on religious aspects but that is not the whole truth. Economic factors have helped this growth of beggars. Sudden loss of jobs in today’s day has of course led to an increase.
Beggars may not seem too much of an issue on the surface but there a lot of evils facilitated which have always been underlying in this guise. These are obvious yet hidden issues. The number of people who beg does nothing but pass time, often in iniquitous practices that injure society. In recent times there have been agitations against this ever-growing industry.
Begging has now become an art, profession, even an organization if you will. Begging does seem quite attractive to the poor. However, the issue arises because healthy, capable people turn to beg, which becomes an easy source of income, while they can sit idly and feed on somebody else’s earned money.
This ‘profession’ includes, children, men, women, handicaps, crippled, and often physically capable beings. A beggar is also a great disguise from who thieves, murderers profit. The amount of false cases of physical disability is appalling.
Often time’s beggars pretend to be disabled in various forms so as to use sympathy to earn money. Sympathy is twisted and used by these people on a daily basis.
Recently a new form of begging was seen where a couple with a child would come up to a person and narrate a story of their money being stolen and they being stranded without finance and thus ask for monetary assistance to ‘get back to their homes’.
There Exist Genuine Cases
Indeed one cannot deny the genuine cases that exist of people who beg to support themselves, like old people or disabled, etc. However, the intermingling of these ‘corrupt and fake’ beggars has led to doubt the truth of the character of every beggar one sees.
It is very difficult to distinguish between the two but if you take a close look at them then perhaps you could easily make out the real and fake people who beg for the sake of only making money.
In some cases, begging has become a hereditary profession. Poor families in their ever-growing family make children beg along with them so as to help feed themselves. This entire scene of begging has led to the creation of a mafia of sorts.
How To Deal With the Beggars?
Whether one should give alms or feed beggars, especially the healthy able-bodied, is a huge question. Is one to continue to give charity which in turn has seen more people sit idly? Begging is like a leech that only takes. It has affected the economy as well, when able-bodied people can work but choose not to.
- The best practice is to provide them with food instead of cash this will reduce the begging pattern that is only there for earning money.
- The state government may need to implement some scheme of providing them with employment.
- Children who are begging on the road should be rehabilitated and given an education.
- There is a need for NGOs who can talk to these children and their parents providing them counseling and job opportunities.
- The State Government can also work out a scheme to provide genuine beggars with shelter.
Is it possible that begging may reduce, if not stop if people don’t give alms? Will this organization of mafia stop creating beggars if there is a lack of business? These are things that we as citizens must open up, think, and talk about. Of course, measures of providing for people who can’t genuinely provide for themselves has to be part of this conversation.
The underlying, obvious evils are far greater than one is able to see. However, this is ‘to each their own’ to choose to continue to endorse this practice, for whatever their personal reason and belief maybe.
If you find this article informative please do share your views on this issue and we will surely consider taking your views into the future article that we will be making on this issue.
