Anti-Vagrancy Department reports ‘significant’ decrease in begging arrests in 2023

AMMAN — The Social Development Ministry’s Anti-Vagrancy Department said it had arrested 7,809 beggars, including 4,069 juveniles, in 2023 compared with the 11,333 beggars, including 4,110 minors, apprehended in 2022.

The department attributed the decrease to several factors, primarily the implementation of stricter penalties for begging, which, it said, are designed to deter repeat offenders and combat the deceptive tactics often used by beggars to solicit funds.

The anti-vagrancy laws include Article 389 of the Penal Code, the Jordanian Juvenile Law and the Child Protection Law which increase the penalty for begging from three months to up to one year. The penalty for organising begging has been also increased to two years. Repeat offenders now face prison sentences ranging from six months to one year, with no possibility of leniency, as reported by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

The department also attributed the decline to intensified daily campaigns to apprehend beggars across the Kingdom, coupled with measures to limit the bail of arrested beggars, implemented in collaboration with strategic partners, Petra reported.

The Ministry of Social Development has also developed preventive programmes to combat begging and reintegrate children involved in begging back into society, which played a crucial role in reducing arrests.