From the Advertiser:
Craig Cook: I won’t give money to Adelaide beggars again, and I want you to do the same
Craig Cook •
The Advertiser •
April 07, 2014 9:30PM
HOW do you feel when you see a beggar in Adelaide? Disturbed or disgusted, guilty or guileless, empathetic or that they’re just plain pathetic?
Whatever your emotions, don’t give money to beggars — you will just encourage more of them.
And even worse, you could even be contributing to their premature death.
As someone who has given money to beggars in Adelaide, I’m taking the pledge not to do it again and I’m beseeching you to do the same.
It might just be another unforeseen consequence of “Mad March’’, where the extra hoards swarming around the city becomes an obvious magnet, but I’ve been confronted by the large numbers of beggars in Adelaide of late. Walking down Rundle St during Festival time, it was hard not to trip over one of them strewed across the pavement.
Perhaps more beggars are a sign of deterioration in our society, and if it is, how could I be so heartless to those who seemingly have so little, and are probably homeless and destitute?
Well, recent research from Europe suggests most beggars in first-world welfare-friendly nations are neither homeless nor without resources.
But they probably do have a serious drug or alcohol addiction — which might explain why most of the beggars in Adelaide can be found hanging around the hotels and nightclubs.
During a crackdown on begging in Birmingham in September last year police found all of the 40 people it detained failed a drugs test, with over 80 per cent testing positive to Class A substances. Fewer than 40 per cent of those caught begging said they were homeless.
On the back of the figures, some welfare organisations are actively encouraging people not to give money to beggars, as it simply supports the numerous issues of their clients.
Giving to people who beg is not a benign act without consequences. If you ever wanted to witness an extreme example of the consequences of giving money to beggars, take a trip to India.
It’s an obvious first reaction to give your conscience a serious workout when a five-year-old wheels himself towards you on a trolley with his one good limb and an imploring look on his face.
India has close to one million child beggars and the brutal reality is that many of them are deliberately maimed by members of organised gangs that operate “begging teams’’. Arms and legs are forcibly amputated, while others are blinded and/or scarred by acid because those with the worst injuries make the most money from begging.
Most of the money is given over to the gang leader, but beggars can still make five times more than the average wage and would prefer to beg than work legitimately.
Begging is a “profession’’ across Europe as well and could become one here if the average person continues to hand over dough. There is no good reason anyone would need to beg in Australia.
Even if you have no fixed address you can claim benefits, and there are many centres where homeless people receive food, clothing and support on a daily basis.
I’m not suggesting there are not people in real need who beg, but giving them a few bucks to assuage your conscience is a mere panacea for their problems that require professional intervention.
It is illegal to beg in South Australia, as it is in every state and territory except NSW, WA and the ACT, and carries a penalty of up to 12 months imprisonment. Not that I agree with arresting those who solicit illicitly.
If you really care about someone’s plight, engage with them and see if there is something more you can do or suggest where they can go for real help.
And if you really want to make a useful contribution, donate to one of the many wonderful organisations committed to finding long-lasting solutions to homelessness and drug and alcohol addiction.
And as we are all good global citizens, consider donating to those organisations that support the 870 million people on the planet, almost exclusively in developing countries, who are officially ‘‘starving to death’’. For most of those, their begging bowl remains perennially empty.