Neglect by parents
“Sometimes, this is due to neglect by parents. They do not keep an eye on their children or do not provide for their needs and desires. Some parents pay their children to go out and beg, some children learn this from their parents or older siblings, some of them have entered the country illegally because of wars and other struggles at home and are trying to help their family in their country.”
To resolve this issue, the ministry has set up an anti-begging team, which works in collaboration with other agencies and social organisations. In 2017, it managed to catch 1,152 beggars across the various governorates of the Sultanate, 175 of whom were children aged 18 years or under, according to a report from the Ministry of Social
Development. Also, of these, 225 beggars were Omani, 152 were men and another 73 were women.
The Ministry also embarked on more than 2,000 anti-begging campaigns across the nation last year.
According to Article 297 of the new Omani Penal Code, begging is illegal and those caught engaging in such an action will be imprisoned for no less than one month and not more than a year, with fines ranging from OMR50 to OMR100. The rule applies to those begging in public places such as roads, shops and mosques, or private establishments such as peoples’ homes and companies.
“Most child beggars are expatriates and illegal immigrants in the Sultanate,” Al Hajri revealed. “If a child beggar is an illegal immigrant under 16 years, he or she is referred to the care centre. If he or she is older than 16 years, he or she will be deported. In general, the punishment depends on the type of case and the frequency of begging,” he said.
“One of the cases still undergoing judicial proceedings is that of a 16-year-old child from an Arab country, who was arrested on charges of begging for the second time. His family members are residents of Oman. The first time he was arrested, he received a reprimand and was sent to his father. But he was arrested for the second time on the same charge and that case is still underway,” Al Hajri remarked.
Meanwhile, 730 beggars were held under police custody, 195 beggars were evicted with the help of their sponsors, and another two came under scrutiny of the Oman labour inspection teams. The distribution of these beggars showed that 89 of them (46 men, 43 women) were under the age of 12, while 86 beggars (62 men, 24 women) were between the ages of 12 and 18.
As many as 521 beggars ((320 men, 201 women) were between the ages of 18 and 40, while 386 beggars were aged between 40 and 60. In addition, 142 beggars were above 60 years.
“According to the data, the main reasons behind this phenomenon are openness and accessibility of tourist visas and treatment visas in the
Sultanate. Also, beggars want to get easy money and sometimes, it is followed by family disintegration, which makes the mother and children resort to begging. Then, there are psychological reasons as well, “Hamood Al Mandhari, head of social development department in Al Seeb, said.