Right response to beggary

The sight of outstretched hands begging for change was always a nuisance, but over the past few years, the problem has gotten exponentially worse, to the point where locals in several Middle Eastern countries deride us for being an exporter of beggars. As offensive as that sentiment is, we cannot even feign outrage anymore, because more than 6,000 Pakistanis have been found begging in Saudi Arabia alone.

Last year, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif claimed that over 20 million Pakistanis now resort to begging, generating a staggering Rs42 billion monthly. While proper data on either of those numbers is hard to come by, we should note that the 20 million people figure suggests that about eight per cent of all Pakistanis are beggars, making it one of the country's biggest 'employment' sectors. It should also be noted that, even though the Rs42 billion figure may seem high, it is almost certainly an underestimation, as it amounts to only Rs2,100 per person per month.

Estimates of varying quality have suggested beggars can consistently make upwards of Rs2,000 per day in big cities, with a nationwide average of Rs850 per day. These income levels will also explain the 'allure' of begging. While most people would feel embarrassed to ask for charity unless it was their last option, many less scrupulous people would prefer to sit around with their hand out, making more money than millions of people toiling in the fields or exhausting themselves with hard labour in cities.

Meanwhile, poverty has been shooting up after years of economic instability, with 29% of the population, or roughly 70 million people, now living below the poverty line. Real household incomes have shrunk, and unemployment is at a 21-year peak. When inflation erodes purchasing power and the social safety net frays, the streets become the last resort for survival. In such a situation, forcing beggars to move and even arresting beggary gang leaders are short-term fixes, not solutions. What is needed is economic growth and job creation that allows people to work their way up from the street, and improvements to the social welfare system to help the people that have been left behind.