"Can you give me some money?" a teenage boy, wearing a face mask while exposing his nose, begged almost every driver who stopped in front of a red traffic light in downtown Amman in Jordan.

When the drivers ignored him, the boy either continued to narrate his miserable story or started brushing the cars' windshield regardless of the drivers' refusal.

Ahmad, a driver who dwelled nearby, complained that he frequently encountered him among a group of youngsters begging for money and recounting a similar story, no matter in the currently chilly winter or other seasons.

Street beggars repeatedly appeared at traffic lights, gas stations, and other public areas, which have become common in capital Amman and elsewhere across Jordan, evoking the public's dissatisfaction and administrators' attention.

Dana Ziad, a cashier who commuted during weekdays, told Xinhua, "I felt nervous every time my car stopped at traffic lights as they came to me, especially when they talked to me without wearing face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic."

According to the Anti-Vagrancy Department at Jordan's Social Development Ministry, there is a clear line between beggars who desperately need aid and those who take it as a profession and are even part of organized cadge groups.

Maher Kloub, the head of the Anti-Vagrancy Department, pointed out that some organized cadge groups manipulated beggars to recite tragic stories, stirring citizens' emotions to acquire money.

He told Xinhua that the ministry regularly conducted anti-vagrancy campaigns and cooperated closely with the Public Security Department to investigate relevant cases.

According to recent official figures, some 2,500 beggars, including 876 juveniles, have been caught or transferred to social services all over the kingdom during the first 11 months of 2020.

"Actually, some of those arrested children would beg again after released, so more heavy penalties should be imposed on those who force them to become beggars," Kloub said.

"I do not believe those kids all definitely know what they were doing, while perhaps they were forced to beg," Nancy Saleem, an accountant at a private company in Gardens street in Amman, told Xinhua.

Regarding giving money to beggars, Kloub considered it a way to support them continue begging, calling on citizens to refrain from such behavior.

"People in general fall victims to those tricks by the professional beggars," Omar Sabri, a sociologist expressed his opinion, "but there is a dilemma for citizens who are generous but reluctant to grant because they might think the person asking for money is lying, which eventually harms those who need help."

"I expect more measures would be taken to stop such abuse on children and women, and meanwhile to ensure those who are really hopeless to get assistance," Saleem said.

Source:
courtesy of XINHUA NEWS AGENCY

by XINHUA NEWS AGENCY

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