‘Ministry finalising strategy to address child begging’

AMMAN — The Ministry of Social Development is finalising a strategy to address child begging, the ministry’s spokesperson, Fawaz Ratrout, said on Wednesday. 

The strategy focuses on the child’s rehabilitation and education, as well as working with the child’s parents, Ratrout told The Jordan Times. 

The official has previously noted that the ministry considers child begging a form of child labour. 

In the first nine months of 2016, anti-vagrancy teams have picked up over 3,000 beggars, said Ratrout, noting that 5,000 were picked up in 2015. 

“The begging [phenomenon] increases in [the Muslim holy month of] Ramadan and in summer, but as we are in the last quarter of the year I guess the [annual] number will be within the normal range, especially with the approach of winter,” said the spokesperson. 

The ministry will soon announce new policies to stop the practice of begging, he added. 

Adults found begging are referred to court, while children are taken to rehabilitation centres affiliated with the ministry. 

Anti-vagrancy teams started using tablet computers in 2015 to exchange and document information about vagrants and their locations, and to contact relevant authorities, the ministry has said.