609 beggars arrested in January — Social Development Ministry

AMMAN — Over the course of 300 campaigns, a total of 609 beggars were arrested in January, according to the Ministry of Social Development, which called on the public to donate to charities rather than giving money to panhandlers.

The ministry conducted studies about 538 juveniles  involved in begging, and announced that it will increase efforts to bring an end to the phenomenon of panhandling.

In 2022, a total of 11,261 were arrested for begging across the Kingdom, while in the 2021, the number of beggars arrested stood at 13,558.

The numbers of juveniles involved in begging nearly halved in 2022, the ministry said, noting that in 2021, a total of 7,981 juvenile beggars were arrested, while in 2022, their number decreased to 4,084.

Aya Jamal, who works as a nurse, said that she stopped giving money to beggars in the streets and rather preferred to support those that she knows are “in real need”.

“I stopped giving money to beggars in the streets because I believe many of them are not actually in need, and many of them use their children and make drama near traffic lights to ask for money,” Jamal told The Jordan Times.

“I prefer to give money in the fasting month of Ramadan and offer people food in the holy month. Now I give only to the people that I know,” Jamal added.

Sabri Khaleel, a father of five, said the presence of beggars near traffic lights is “annoying”.

“I don’t feel that many of them are honest. Sometimes there are people who sell newspapers and flowers, but they do not actually sell. They beg for money. I know there are people who are in dire need of money,” Khaleel told The Jordan Times.

Khaleel said people should donate to charities that help the poor, as they are able to identify those “in real need”.