Don’t you have 100 rupees? The question of begging abroad

Being generous is all well and good, but how do you respond to begging with a good attitude and a real good deed?

Here you are, fresh off the plane and it starts: Please Help, please! You are assailed from all sides by children, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, handicapped people… In some countries beggars are legion and are particularly aimed at tourists and travellers. This begging sometimes takes on the appearance of harassment and it becomes difficult to find the right attitude. Not only is it impossible to save all the destitute, but it is even more complicated to be sure that your generosity will be well used.

How can you cope with these incessant requests, these hundreds of desperate hands reaching out to you? Here are some answers to react to begging. Of course, giving to the most destitute is important and remains a good deed. But pay attention to the context and to whom you are giving alms. A little measuring and reflection is necessary.

For some tourists, begging is not a problem and they are very generous

These rescuing tourists have compassion, understanding and share their possessions: coins and banknotes come out of their pockets in profusion, without negotiation to do good deeds. It’s free, willingly, they ask for no return, no work, in a word, they do charity.

If it is possible to broach the subject of this begging with these generous people, they reply that they refuse to let people in need die of misery. And this is very commendable. But most of the time, the opposite effect occurs. We then find ourselves explaining that giving money to people in need is not always a good deed and it is difficult to understand.

This type of attitude is personally rewarding, especially when you model your own society on that of the country you are visiting. For a European, the street is reserved for passing through or working, but it is not a place of residence. In Asia, on the contrary, the street is a living space in its own right. In Cambodia, children sleep on cardboard boxes on the floor while their mothers sell their products, they shower with a bucket of water, naked on the pavement and this does not shock anyone. In India, it is also normal to take a nap on the street in the middle of the afternoon.

Giving to beggars is it also giving them a good conscience to feel privileged?

 

Sometimes, helping makes the spectacle of misery less violent, more bearable. Giving is also a way of freeing oneself from being on the side of the privileged. Even if this is not true, we all have somewhere a feeling of guilt embodied in a rich egoist who looks down on the miserable. 
In Armenia, a traveller bought shoes from a lady who lived barefoot in the street. The shopkeepers and passers-by around loudly applauded her generosity. What appeals to me is not the truly praiseworthy and useful gesture of the traveler, it is that no one in the neighbourhood, who sees this lady every day, has done so before him! Beware of preconceived ideas, generosity, mutual aid and sharing are the duty of all of us, whatever our situation.

Do we have to give money to be respected?

This generosity induces venal and false relationships. Respect, sincere and disinterested attention does not come through money. Be careful not to be manipulated.

 

So should you give to beggars or not? 

 

There is no ready-made answer to this question, it depends a lot on the context. It is really advisable to find out from the locals, ask them what they think about it, if they too give to beggars for example. Personally, I’ve never been recommended to give alms, on the contrary. It is always better to give to an organisation that will be able to work in the long term.

A short list of the perverse effects of begging

Is demanding money a good example for children?

It’s a pity, it should be invented, but money is usually earned in exchange for work. Getting money just by asking for it would be very nice, but it’s rather rare once you’re an adult. 
Sometimes I get a stone throw or insults from young children when I refuse to obey their “give money!” orders. These children quickly learned the magic phrase “give money! “in all languages before they even knew how to count. It is usually followed by the other most famous phrase in the world “f*** you! ». 

If begging is more profitable than working, children will never have the chance to go to school

In India, by giving one or two euros, we sometimes give the equivalent of a working day. Offering sums that represent a lot for their families is the surest way to keep them on the street and therefore to take them out of school. Without any education, these future adults will find it more difficult to find work and to get out of poverty. Boys will have a better chance of finding a job as a labourer, but girls will end up in “massage parlours” or on the pavement when they are no longer tender enough to beg. 
In orphanages, children used to getting money by begging are the hardest to get into school. No need to blame them, why study or work when the generosity of tourists sometimes provides enough money in one day to support their families for a month? 

Begging prevents charities from doing their work

If the family does not provide for their needs, children may be placed in institutions such as orphanages. When it is the high tourist season, it is common for the parent(s) to pick them up and send them to beg for money. The work of childcare professionals becomes very complicated and they tell it very clear: “don’t give anything to the children”.

Giving children who survive begging is sometimes indirectly giving to a criminal organisation

Human trafficking often hides behind these ragged children. Those who beg for money may be part of an organisation that exploits them like slaves to get rich. Just like prostitution, they have to take the fruit of their pleas to the boss. So if you give to the children, you are making criminals richer. Sometimes you just have to look around. Children are rarely alone, watched by watchers to prevent them from hiding money, intervening in case of violence or being picked up by social services. If attempts are made to take them somewhere, children start to look around worriedly. The watchman usually intervenes quickly to make sure that this child doesn’t need anything, and he doesn’t beg for money at all!

Giving out coins on the fly is generous, but it’s a bad message

By giving out these coins as carnival confetti, you give a false image of the inhabitants of the so-called “developed or rich” countries. The locals have the feeling that this money is of no value to you since you distribute it so easily. This discrepancy can make interactions with locals very tense or even aggressive. They will not show any respect for you, on the contrary. This money seems to fall from tree every morning.

Children are often used, exploited, for begging because it is difficult to resist the desire to save them

And it works! It’s amazing how creative some people are when it comes to getting money. In the most serious cases, begging is a real business that kidnaps children, mutilates or/and prostitutes them. But there are many other tricks to convince foreigners to make a small gesture. Old people, handicapped people, mothers, begging doesn’t exclude anyone, but the best winners are still the childrens.
 

A little girl of 4/5 years old wanders alone in the street with a baby of a few weeks old in her arms

She asks for milk for her little brother. She looks exhausted, it is dark. Who can resist this picture? Know that this baby is absolutely not her brother. This toddler’s mother rents him out for a few hours for a share of the gains. If you buy this much-needed bottle of milk, it will immediately be sold to the merchant who is also in the business.

Buy me a book, just a book so I can go to school!

Your reason prevails, this little one wants to study, you’re going to give him the means to do so! He takes you to the bookstore and chooses a huge book that costs no less than $50. This book will never enter a school but will be resold within an hour to the accomplice seller.

Late at night, children doing their homework on the pavement

Aged about 7 years old, they conscientiously fill out their homework book. They have also placed in front of them packets of tissues, postcards, key rings for sale… We tell ourselves that buying them something means allowing them to continue to attend school. Alas, sleeping late, exhausted, we find these same children asleep on cardboard boxes in the street, in broad daylight the next day, the day after that and all the days that follow. If only he really went to school!

Sick or handicapped children asking for money to buy medicines or to go to hospital

Every evening, an old man goes around the tables. His hands are shaking, but he is holding a prescription and a plastic bag containing a box of medicine. He asks just enough to pay for his treatment…every day (in a different neighbourhood), all year round. Realy? 
For others, it’s a display of ugly open wounds, skin disease, amputated limbs. These wounds are skilfully maintained and above all not treated to appeal to your pity, your compassion. Giving a little money will certainly not help healing but on the contrary prevent it.

Enfant au milieu du pont de Skopje, Macédoine du Nord. Il n'est pas seul, une adulte et d'autres enfants, certainement sa famille, sont assis de l'autre côté.

How to deal with begging

Giving attention to children rather than money

  • Whenever possible, spend some time with the children. Get to know their name, age, history. Invite them to sit with you, compliment them on their practice of English, their resourcefulness… There are many ways to give them a good image of themselves because there is misery and sometimes physical and moral violence around. Give them esteem rather than money, it will only make them richer to face the future.
  • Argue in the face of the endless “1 euro is nothing for you! »
    Don’t allow anyone to judge what 1 euro in your budget represents. No one but yourself knows how long you have worked to spend it here. Maybe you have been saving for years to come to visit this country? Did you get this euro just like that, just by asking? Alas, just because you were born in a rich country doesn’t mean you have to be rich.
  • Offering to do a service in exchange for payment: that’s no longer begging!
     If you want to help someone, offer a deal: help find a shop, act as a guide, translate, charge them for small shopping. The person with whom you make this exchange will feel considered and respected for what they are able to do. On your side: you are no longer giving alms, you are asking for a service.
  • Giving thing not money
    If you see that they are hungry, give them food. Some people really don’t eat enough because they don’t have the means. If you want to help them, discreetly drop off some provisions, sandwiches, a cup of tea, canned food.
  • Asking about their real needs before giving is perhaps helping them to get out of begging
    Ask them what they need. Shoes, clothes, a doctor, a school uniform, school fees… Maybe you can help them through a difficult time. But first of all be sure that your action will really help to improve their situation.
 
  • Supporting reputable organisations
    Giving directly to associations (if and only if you are convinced of their probity). They are then organised to really help the most destitute. They can provide them with a roof, school books, care, clothes, etc.
  • Even if you are faced with aggressive begging, it is important to remain polite and courteous with everyone
    You can say no with a smile and remain respectful. There are lots of little words like hello that say “I see you, hear and respect you“. The worst thing about being in misery isn’t to be no longer part of the world and become invisible to other humans?
    You don’t know what these people go through on a daily basis, show a little more empathy than usual, they surely deserve it.

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