BEGGARS ON OUR STREETS

I am a resident of Abossey Okai in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana in an area close to a Muslim community popularly known as Sabon Zongo. Whiles growing in this neighbourhood, I have come across numerous beggars some sitting by the streets and others who follow pedestrians to seek aid and initially I thought it was okay for a person to be doing that. It was and still is a common phenomenon.

It is factual that some religions subscribe to this act and I have heard people say they give to these people because it is by compulsion in their religion. Due to this, some beggars mostly sit at the gates of churches, mosques and temples of some religious organisations hoping that compassion would be had on them and their daily bread catered for.

Now, some 'smart' beggars roam the streets telling false tales to passersby in order to get them to give them some money. Mostly, gullible people fall for their 'traps'. I remember a time I alighted from a public transport and was approached by a nice looking lady who told me a long story about how she had travelled from Kumasi to Accra to see her aunt and was robbed when she got to Accra so she needed help to locate her aunt.

I guess it is rational for the physically disabled to roam the streets seeking aid although it is not the best of practices because there are various free vocational training programmes being organised by the government and some non-governmental organisations to help them acquire skills they can work with to earn a living. But currently, individuals who are in their right senses and have no disabilities have also resorted to street begging and this is absurd.

This is a short video on some street beggars sitting along the street  waiting for pedestrians to give them some money.

Recently, in an article published on standard's website written by Mark Blunden it has been stated that "Police are warning City workers not to give street beggars money as a report revealed the number of homeless people sleeping rough in the Square Mile has risen".

More interestingly it was noted that one woman in her eighties earns "in excess of £200 per day” from begging".

Many people have resorted to street begging because they earn a lot of money that those who work hard to spare them some do not get.

I think it is time the Metropolitan Assemblies took the issue up and if possible cleared them from the streets especially those who are able and can work.

In spite of this, I am sure most of them are on the streets because of unemployment, so to help control street begging, job avenues should be created to keep them busy. Those who beg due to laziness should be prosecuted. Better still to cut down on the numbers of street beggars on the streets, pedestrians should be advised to stop giving money to them especially those who are fit to work.