JEDDAH, 3 November 2003 — A major nationwide campaign has been launched to confront the growing phenomenon of beggary during Ramadan, according to Labor and Social Affairs Minister Dr. Ali Al-Namlah.
He said the ministry has a number of solutions at hand to cut the number of Saudi beggars. They include finding jobs to those beggars who are physically capable, providing shelter to the old at specialized centers, and distribution of social assistance to the deserved.
“But some people resort to begging just to make easy money without actually being in need. It’s a kind of disease,” Okaz daily quoted the minister as saying. He said the ministry would use the help of women security officers to arrest female beggars.
He said the new campaign against beggary would be carried out with the support of regional governors and security officers. “We started the campaign last month,” he said.
Saudi beggars would be taken care of by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs while the expatriates among them would be handed over to the Passports Department for action. “The beggars will be punished according to law,” he added.
The minister said preventing begging in the two holy mosques was the responsibility of the Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques.
Meanwhile, Ihsan ibn Saleh Tayyeb, director general of social affairs in the Makkah region, said there are 264 charitable societies in the Kingdom.
He said the collection of donations had stopped due to disorganization. “We have presented a complete study on the matter to avoid any negative effects and presented it to the Makkah governor for his approval.”
He said the ministry will provide monthly assistance to families taking care of orphans, beginning from SR1,000 to SR2,400. “We will provide SR30,000 for the marriage of an orphaned girl,” he said.
