Saudi Gazette Under harsh weather conditions, whether it is scorching heat or bitter cold, in the midst of the foul smell of car exhaust fumes, babies are lugged around by poor women to beg for money from motorists at busy intersections in all areas of the Kingdom. It is almost emotionally impossible to turn a beggar away once our eyes rest on the child's sweet, tired, and sad face. However, such behavior has been seen, spoken and researched about at length, only to find that a large number of them have taken begging as a form of business and easy means of income. Pregnant women, children and babies are their sympathy-gaining-products. Considering and accepting the situation that the person asking for money may be in dire need of funds, but using children to fish out money from people is immoral and indecent. A dirty and noisy street is no place for an innocent infant, who has the inherent right to be kept in a clean and safe home. Women who have run into a dead end and have no source of income should not resort to begging for survival, they should turn to various charitable organizations for assistance and if the only option left is to beg, they should do so without draping their babies over their shoulders. A Saudi citizen in Khamis Mushayt, Ali Al-Sultan said, “It has become normal to see mothers carrying tiny babies begging for money at traffic lights every day on my way to work. Some of these women roam the streets from as early as six o'clock in the morning until way after midnight. The Department of Social Affairs or the Human Rights Commission should do something about this problem, prevent begging on the streets, and aid those families in need to spare the young children from their treacherous living conditions.” One resident in Jeddah is hesitant to give money to the drifters on the streets because he thinks that organized gangs conduct these ploys to satiate their greed for money. Such residents fear that organized begging threatens the security and safety of our communities. The mayoralty shoud provide shelters and welfare centers so that those who are in genuine need of help can receive financial aid and warm food while preserving the dignity of these families. The Ministry of Social Affairs conducted a study that found that less than seven percent of those captured for begging on the streets were Saudi nationals. __
