Begging a growing problem: Ministry
The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MOLSA) does not make it lucid whether or not soliciting for money in public places is indeed illegal in the country.
A MOLSA representative (who wished not to be named) told the Tribune, “Begging is a growing social problem in the country but no one seems to be concerned on how to decrease the number of beggars in the streets. We have an unwritten rule in our books to arrest those beggars who may be causing trouble for other people or for the establishments they are using as a means to beg. The first step to trying to eliminate begging is for someone to complain. Just as long as they are tolerated, they are not going to disappear just like that. People must also realise that by giving money to beggars, they too are tolerating the growing social problem on the island,” he said.
Begging a growing problem: Ministry
The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MOLSA) does not make it lucid whether or not soliciting for money in public places is indeed illegal in the country.
A MOLSA representative (who wished not to be named) told the Tribune, “Begging is a growing social problem in the country but no one seems to be concerned on how to decrease the number of beggars in the streets. We have an unwritten rule in our books to arrest those beggars who may be causing trouble for other people or for the establishments they are using as a means to beg. The first step to trying to eliminate begging is for someone to complain. Just as long as they are tolerated, they are not going to disappear just like that. People must also realise that by giving money to beggars, they too are tolerating the growing social problem on the island,” he said.
“Bahrain’s society is an extremely tolerable and open-minded society that is ready to accept minor deviances just like beggars. But people must realise that having beggars is one thing but having more than the ones we have now may cause a problem in the future. We have beggars who have modified their approach by adding props like tagging along a 2-year-old or extreme cases a mentally retarded child at public spots. I once asked this woman why she bought her 9-year-old son suffering from down syndrome into the streets to beg and she simply said, “so people would pity us and give money”, he said.
“And yes they actually do; they give money, some spare change and walk away feeling aptly proud themselves that they have made some contribution to someone else’s life. But I tell you, that is NOT THE SOLUTION. It merely ignites the situation that may lead to something else we cannot control. What they need is rehabilitation, care, support and understanding as to why they resorted to begging in the first place. We need to understand the origins of the idea of soliciting for money as a means to survive.”
In a bid to help beggars who have been arrested, a home was established in Muharraq to shelter the beggars of both sexes, who are apprehended whilst begging. It investigates their cases, provides them with the necessary services, and assists them to cease begging after leaving the Home.
Sheltering is also provided to cases that do not have houses or with conditions requiring continuous shelter.
The National Committee for the Elderly supports this Home so as to provide better services for its residents.
The Home aims to try eliminate begging in Bahrain as well as to shelter beggars of both sexes who are apprehended whilst begging. It will serve as a means to provide, social, health, psychological, residential and recreational welfare services to beggars, as well as carry out various programmes so as to assist the beggars to cease begging.
It closely co-ordinates with the concerned agencies to transfer beggars’ cases whom their conditions need the services of such agencies. In the process, it aims to strengthen ties between the beggar and his family and prompt them to provide him with material and moral care so as to help him cease begging.
Guidance programmes have also been set aimed to alleviate and eliminate begging through the use of various means of communication. There are two types of care provided by the home; there is what is called Temporary Care during which the beggar resides at the home till the end of a period or until the relatives have been traced.
The home may resort to Permanent Care if they discover that the beggars have no place to live in or breadwinner to support them otherwise.
Article from: Bahrain Tribune Newspaper- www.BahrainTribune.com
