MAKKAH, 15 April 2007 — Begging has become a massive problem in the Kingdom that is threatening the very fabric of our society from within. According to the Anti-Beggary Department in Makkah, 5,724 beggars were arrested in the holy city alone last year. Of these only 28 were Saudis.

The Ministry of Social Affairs is preparing a study to put an end to the problem and has approved the formation of a committee to prepare a national plan to stop people from begging.

Arab News talked to Mansour Al-Hazmi, the director of the Anti-Beggary Department in Makkah, to get an overview of the problem and the steps that are being taken to prevent people from begging.

Al-Hazmi said that the Anti-Beggary Department in Makkah has a huge problem on its hands with child beggars, most of whom are of Yemeni descent. “Most Yemeni child beggars come to the Kingdom by sneaking across the border. These children come from very poor families and are brought to the Kingdom by gangs. They bring them into the Kingdom through mountain passes and across deserts,” he said.

Al-Hazmi said that the journey is usually a difficult and dangerous one. “These children travel hundreds of miles on foot and sometimes use cars. Once the children are safely smuggled into the Kingdom, the gangs provide them with food and shelter. They’re then sent across Makkah, especially at traffic lights, to beg,” he said, adding that the gang masters gather the children at night and take their daily earnings.

Al-Hazmi said a large number of children are arrested every day, sometimes along with the gang masters. “I remember an incident when the Anti-Beggary Department arrested a gang. Prior to their arrest, the department noticed three children, aged between eight and 12, begging for money at a major service station on the Jeddah-Makkah Expressway. The Anti-Beggary Department monitored the three children and noticed that a man, aged 23, was following and monitoring the children’s activities,” he said.

He added that on arrest it was found that the man would collect the money the children earned at the end of each day. “He would force them to work for up to 12 hours. They would earn as much as SR300 a day. The children told us that the man was forcing them to work. If they refused, he would severely beat them and starve them,” said Al-Hazmi.

Al-Hazmi mentioned another story of a father who would beat up his five-year-old daughter and force her to act as if she had epilepsy. “If the daughter refused, the father would beat her up. We arrested the man and saved the girl. She was taken to hospital for treatment and is happy that she’s been rescued,” said Al-Hazmi.

“It’s sick to see fathers ruining their children’s lives just to earn money. Such children need to be in schools and should be enjoying their childhood, not begging for money.

“Many of these people leave their children in the street under the sun in mid-afternoon when it is extremely hot,” he said, adding that most of the children are forced to beg.

“Many say that they wish to have a normal childhood. They tell us with tears in their eyes that they feel humiliated begging. They don’t want to beg for money but can’t refuse,” he added.

When the Anti-Beggary Department arrests beggars, All-Hazmi said, they also look for the gang masters. Children are asked to provide information about the place where they have been housed.

The location is then raided by the officers of the department together with the police, he said

“When we arrest a beggar and we find out that he or she is Saudi, we contact the Social Affairs Department office to review their case. If they’re found to be in need of financial help and there is no one to take care of them, then the Social Affairs Department provides them with assistance,” he said, adding that if the beggar is handicapped then he or she is transferred to a rehabilitation center for the handicapped.

“If the beggar is found able to work, he is transferred to the Labor Office to find him a suitable job. If he’s not in need of work, then the department contacts his family and makes them sign a letter promising he won’t repeat the crime. Foreign beggars are sent to deportation centers and then sent back to their original countries,” added Al-Hazmi.

Al-Hazmi said that the Anti-Beggary Department takes care of child beggars and that there are social workers who specialize in dealing with them and rehabilitating them. “We provide them with food, shelter and education. We see the appreciation in their eyes. They know we’ve saved them from torture and a life of hell.”