Over 350 beggars detained so far this Ramadan

AMMAN — The Ministry of Social Development has detained over 350 beggars across the Kingdom since the beginning of Ramadan, an official said Sunday.

The ministry used to apprehend the same number of beggars during the entire fasting month three years ago, Spokesperson Fawaz Ratrout told The Jordan Times, expecting the number to reach 1,500 by the end of Ramadan.

The official attributed the “success” of the ministry’s campaigns this year to an additional 20 inspection teams working round-the-clock in all governorates.

He cited a challenge facing the ministry’s teams in some governorates, such as Madaba, some 30 kilometres southwest of Amman, where beggars alert each other when they see the ministry’s vehicles.

“The majority of detained beggars were caught in the capital, most of them women,” Ratrout said, adding that Syrians constitute 20 per cent of the apprehended vagrants.

He noted that the majority of adult beggars are usually females, while the majority of underage beggars are males.

“We always remind the public that begging is illegal and that they can donate through the ministry’s official channels,” the official stressed.

Over 1,300 beggars were apprehended across Jordan last Ramadan, 129 of whom were Syrians.

Adult beggars detained by authorities are referred to police stations and then to court in accordance with the Penal Code, while juveniles are referred to care centres affiliated with the ministry, where they are rehabilitated.