The Kingdom is witnessing development in all sectors thanks to generous government spending on mega projects. The government's aim is to place the Kingdom in a leading position among the advanced and civilized countries of the world.
However, with the continued presence of such negative phenomena like begging we cannot appear the way we aspire to. People warn against the negative effects of panhandling throughout the year in the media, but successful solutions have not been found. This indicates that we have not progressed at managing this crisis.
Every year we witness a flurry of activity and campaigns aimed at getting rid of overstayers and beggars, phenomena that boost each other. However, this zeal decreases when we notice that the groups of beggars have returned to the roads and traffic lights in cities as well as villages and rural areas. Women and children even occupy the courtyards of mosques. They exploit the Haj, Umrah and Ramadan seasons and make up stories to win people's sympathy.
Furthermore, many panhandlers are part of begging syndicates that come up with creative ways to beg. One common scenario involves a woman begging at a traffic light with a baby in her hands.
She walks from car to car, knocking on windows while exposing her baby to the scorching sun. The baby is covered with a piece of light cloth to protect it from the scorching heat. The woman does not care what effect the heat will have on the baby. All she cares about is collecting as much money as possible from passersby.
Such scenes are appalling and they force us to confront ourselves and question the way we deal with such cases. They also cause us to confront officials and the related authorities and ask what they are doing to counter this phenomenon.
Until when should we tolerate panhandlers on our roads, in front of banks, places of worship and malls?
Are all panhandlers violators of residency laws or are there male and female Saudis among them? If the answer is yes, why are they resorting to such practices with the existence of the Ministry of Social Affairs, General Organization for Social Insurance and many charitable societies? Have these authorities failed to help them?
The questions keep on arising and there is no satisfactory answer. There is something seriously wrong if citizens are forced to beg in a nation like ours that seeks to help neighboring countries and the greater Muslim world. It has become imperative to carry out well-studied and strategic plans to contain this phenomenon. This lax and fruitless dealing and carrying out seasonal campaigns no longer satisfies the media or the citizen.
Deputy Chairman of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) Saleh Muhammad Al-Khathlan said the majority of children who roam the streets and beg at traffic lights come into the Kingdom as part of a begging syndicate. The Ministry of Interior exerts great efforts to arrest and deport them but they always find ways to reenter the country.
Al-Khathlan described the practices used by begging syndicates as criminal, as they exploit children and smuggle them into the Kingdom with the sole intention of begging. In some cases, these children have been kidnapped from their families. This is a crime that has to be dealt with through the security authorities, as it is not just a matter of poverty.
Al-Khathlan said some poor families are living in difficult circumstances. They are provided assistance through a program under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Insurance but he believes this assistance is in need of re-evaluation as many families cannot cope with the rising cost of living.
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