Beggary has become a profession for most of those who are part of a much larger industry that recruits, trains and relocates men, women and children. Few things disrupt public life on roads and streets with more audacity than beggars chasing people for a paltry amount of money. It is becoming an increasingly common phenomenon to be interrupted, often insolently, while driving a car or on foot. They have become a big source of distraction for the public.
Most of them shamelessly shock commuters in an attempt to generate maximum sympathy. They have horrific appearances or disabilities that are a convenient tool for extorting whatever little money they can; walking, limping or roller-skating with amputated legs up and down a road all day. For some commuters it does arouse an element of pity, while for many of them it is no more than a sickening irritation.
Most people, mainly women, see these beggars as more of a blessing in disguise than irritating entities. They find beggars to be the most readily available recipients of charity a regular basis whenever commuting around the city. It is often their charitable spirit that makes them fork out money. There is no doubt that many people resort to begging because of poverty, at the same time they exploit their economic condition to earn a certain level of subsistence. They employ different methods to get easy money which they can earn standing by the roadside, often taking shelter under a tree or sitting while the traffic signal turns green, instead of earning the same amount labouring all day under any kind of weather conditions. This is why many physically fit young men are usually seen begging on the streets.
The intermediary entity of the beggar mafia exploits both the poor and the rich taking advantage of the immense economic divide between the two in our society. Neither gains any benefits. The poor remain eternally poor and the affluent ones money cannot reach the truly needy. In the presence of such networks in society, the public alone cannot deal with the evil.
The law that prohibits beggary and gives the powers to arrest to the police has existed for years. However, the increasing presence of beggars at shrines, on the roads, or in the markets, is a proof that the police have not yet been mobilised to begin a crackdown on the mafia.
SADIA ZAHEER
Lahore
