You are walking down a hectic street or waiting on a bus, and an individual approaches you with a bowl in hand, requesting for money. The individual in some cases is a man, a lady and in some cases even a kid. It is a typical experience for a number of us in Bangladesh, whether living in a busy city or a peaceful town. I am, naturally, discussing beggars.
With the growing variety of beggars strolling the streets for nourishment, the problem of beggary has actually received significant attention from policymakers and stakeholders alike. Unfortunately, regardless of efforts, a sustainable option stays evasive.
Some supporter eliminating beggary through the law, while others knock such steps as breaching human rights.
Although policy experts recommend that stopping almsgiving and ousting beggars from cities might press them towards work-for-pay, it might likewise generate social ills such as criminal activity and theft.
Furthermore, convincing individuals to stop providing alms is a powerful obstacle, provided the commonly held belief that it is a spiritual virtue. Additionally, handling alternative methods of subsistence for susceptible groups such as the homeless, destitute and physically challenged is a substantial barrier.
So, what can we do?
The perseverance of this issue highlights the requirement for a detailed and caring technique.
The problem of beggary cannot be resolved entirely by police steps. Instead, it needs a nuanced understanding of the origin and the advancement of methods that think about the requirements and wellness of beggars.
For circumstances, we can speak about how some beggars are pushed into asking by intermediaries who spin the wheel behind a veil, requiring kids and physically challenged individuals into the asking business. If any law is needed, it needs to target such intermediaries instead of enforcing policies for the expulsion of beggars.
In the policy discourse, the very first and commonly concurred technique is prioritising the growth of social safeguard plans, such as the widow allowance, old allowance and impairment allowance, which help to support susceptible groups and can lower asking rates.
Although the upcoming financial strategy assigns Tk 126,272 crores to the social safeguard program, marking an 11% increase in the worth year-on-year, the spending for the poor is anticipated to be lower as a significant quantity will be utilized for federal government pensions, interest aid, farming aid, health dangers and to fight nationwide shocks.
In addition, consisting of beggars individually in the safeguard dispensation procedure stays a substantial obstacle in policy discourse. One of the primary barriers to this technique is the overlap with existing federal government allowance receivers who likewise ask to enhance their living conditions.
To conquer the obstacle, a detailed study is needed to separate the real beggars from the present federal government allowance receivers.
Although this requires an evaluation study, which would be challenging to carry out throughout the nation, it can accelerate and effectively run another technique—the rehab program.
Several such programs have actually already been piloted and performed by the federal government, however they have actually stopped working to keep up with the growing variety of beggars. To work, these programs require to deal with a number of obstacles initially. For example, there is often random disbursement of income-generating appliances, which leads to the ineffective use of supplied resources—giving a sewing machine to a physically challenged or a female beggar who is inept in sewing is unlikely to add any value to her daily earnings.
The need assessment survey, in this case, can help determine who is truly in dire need and who needs what kind of support.
Another challenge after implementing rehabilitation programs is the return of beggars to the begging. In most cases, recipients convert these appliances into cash, which enables them to return to begging, as evidenced by a recent study conducted in Khulna City.
A dedicated monitoring and evaluation scheme must be revised to meet the intervention goal. An independent body of monitoring and evaluation teams can remove the problem by ensuring proper resource allocation and regular follow-ups.
Any successful beggar rehabilitation programme induces numerous dynamics, including identifying and categorising the needy, addressing the drawbacks in asset disbursement and beggars’ fast mobility, conducting follow-ups and extending social safety net support.
These are undoubtedly complex obstacles, but they are not insurmountable. Lessons from other nations that have successfully implemented similar projects to manage decent livelihoods for beggars can be helpful, especially in countries that have effectively implemented rehabilitation programmes aimed at reducing begging rates and helping beggars rebuild their lives.
For instance, alongside financial assistance and basic needs, such as food, shelter, and healthcare, India provides job and skills development training for beggars, enabling them to secure long-term employment. Different non-govt welfare organisations also volunteered for the pilot projects.
Therefore, short-term projects and policies, along with collaboration with other bodies to promote skill training, will be a vital part of the rehabilitation programme to reduce poverty and enhance employment among beggars. The goal of the rehabilitation scheme should not only be to eradicate beggary, for instance, by rolling out any law or eviction but also to focus on the sustainable livelihoods of beggars.
Bangladesh will require significant skilled personnel to overcome the prolonged problem of beggary through rehabilitation, with the local government playing a critical role in this regard. Merely placing billboards with the slogan “a beggar-free state” on the fronts of cities or municipalities is a self-congratulatory act that is not likely to achieve the goal of rehab intervention. Without a deep understanding of the contexts and obstacles, restoring beggars will stay challenging, and disputes surrounding the problem will not alter the status quo.
Md. Karimul Islam is a Research Associate at the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University.
Disclaimer: The views and viewpoints revealed in this short article are those of the author and do not always show the viewpoints and views of The Business Standard.
