Comments on: The Secret To Avoiding Beggars http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/04/19/the-secret-to-avoiding-beggars/ Online travel magazine dedicated to exploring travel in the 21st century. Offering travel news, compelling interviews, online travel tools, and more. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:14:28 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Scribetrotter http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/04/19/the-secret-to-avoiding-beggars/comment-page-1/#comment-20637 Scribetrotter Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:06:43 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/04/19/the-secret-to-avoiding-beggars/#comment-20637 This is such an important topic... I've traveled to extremely poor areas and it would be so easy to just hand over a few coins. In some cases, especially around children, giving money can do more harm than good: if children make enough money begging, the incentive to go to school disappears; some parents try to keep their children from begging - and giving money undermines parental authority; begging promotes seeing Westerners as legitimate targets; the money will only have a short-term benefit; it opens the door for a new generation of beggars - if begging is so lucrative, why not do it; and you may be partnering in crime - some child beggars are trafficked. I was a foreign correspondent in Asia and followed up on child trafficking stories - there were horrible cases of what police believed might have been willful mutilation of children to make them more 'attractive' as beggars... so each time I see a child begging, these are the thoughts that jostle in my mind. To give or not to give - not an easy decision. This is such an important topic… I’ve traveled to extremely poor areas and it would be so easy to just hand over a few coins.

In some cases, especially around children, giving money can do more harm than good: if children make enough money begging, the incentive to go to school disappears; some parents try to keep their children from begging – and giving money undermines parental authority; begging promotes seeing Westerners as legitimate targets; the money will only have a short-term benefit; it opens the door for a new generation of beggars – if begging is so lucrative, why not do it; and you may be partnering in crime – some child beggars are trafficked.

I was a foreign correspondent in Asia and followed up on child trafficking stories – there were horrible cases of what police believed might have been willful mutilation of children to make them more ‘attractive’ as beggars… so each time I see a child begging, these are the thoughts that jostle in my mind. To give or not to give – not an easy decision.

(Report comment)

]]> By: ianmack http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/04/19/the-secret-to-avoiding-beggars/comment-page-1/#comment-1859 ianmack Sat, 21 Apr 2007 02:41:03 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/04/19/the-secret-to-avoiding-beggars/#comment-1859 "The help shouldn’t come for tourists hand outs but through charities" I agree with you there Paul, though even better, the help should come from their government. Tourist handouts are a temporary measure for a systematic problem. Then again, in the moment, it comes down to basically the wad of money in your pocket, going back to your decent (or better) hotel room for the night, and this beggar with little more than the clothes on their backs. I'm not sure what the answer really is. “The help shouldn’t come for tourists hand outs but through charities” I agree with you there Paul, though even better, the help should come from their government. Tourist handouts are a temporary measure for a systematic problem. Then again, in the moment, it comes down to basically the wad of money in your pocket, going back to your decent (or better) hotel room for the night, and this beggar with little more than the clothes on their backs. I’m not sure what the answer really is.

(Report comment)

]]> By: TravMonkey http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/04/19/the-secret-to-avoiding-beggars/comment-page-1/#comment-1857 TravMonkey Sat, 21 Apr 2007 02:32:24 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/04/19/the-secret-to-avoiding-beggars/#comment-1857 I've seen a lot of people using avoidance, or crossing the road. Especailly in Cambodia, often you'd turn around to see a thin weak looking man tapping you on the shoulder with a stump, it's difficult to walk away but there should be help for these people. Unfortunately in some countries there is no help, for example in China where I saw many people suffering from deformaties crawling outside Starbucks as shoppers weaved around. The help shouldn't come for tourists hand outs but through Charities. I went to visit the land mine museum in Cambodia...I say museum it was more of a shed with a lots of bombs and mines in it. The great thing about the museum is that you could learn all about the incredible problems with land mines in Cambodia and make a donation on the way out. I’ve seen a lot of people using avoidance, or crossing the road. Especailly in Cambodia, often you’d turn around to see a thin weak looking man tapping you on the shoulder with a stump, it’s difficult to walk away but there should be help for these people. Unfortunately in some countries there is no help, for example in China where I saw many people suffering from deformaties crawling outside Starbucks as shoppers weaved around.

The help shouldn’t come for tourists hand outs but through Charities. I went to visit the land mine museum in Cambodia…I say museum it was more of a shed with a lots of bombs and mines in it. The great thing about the museum is that you could learn all about the incredible problems with land mines in Cambodia and make a donation on the way out.

(Report comment)

]]> By: JennDZ http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/04/19/the-secret-to-avoiding-beggars/comment-page-1/#comment-1838 JennDZ Fri, 20 Apr 2007 20:45:51 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/04/19/the-secret-to-avoiding-beggars/#comment-1838 For me, I always look beggars in the eye and say that I can't help them, then keep on walking no matter what they do. I have a hard time just ignorning people who are suffering. They are human beings after all and worth at the very least some eye contact to aknowledge they exist and are speaking to you. For me, I always look beggars in the eye and say that I can’t help them, then keep on walking no matter what they do.
I have a hard time just ignorning people who are suffering. They are human beings after all and worth at the very least some eye contact to aknowledge they exist and are speaking to you.

(Report comment)

]]> By: Maryam in Marrakesh http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/04/19/the-secret-to-avoiding-beggars/comment-page-1/#comment-1822 Maryam in Marrakesh Fri, 20 Apr 2007 11:09:34 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/04/19/the-secret-to-avoiding-beggars/#comment-1822 Thank you for this. This has been an ongoing sage for me, too. Thank you for this. This has been an ongoing sage for me, too.

(Report comment)

]]> By: St0ne http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/04/19/the-secret-to-avoiding-beggars/comment-page-1/#comment-1805 St0ne Fri, 20 Apr 2007 00:36:12 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/04/19/the-secret-to-avoiding-beggars/#comment-1805 I hadn't really thought about how I would handle this until now but reading I know the emotions I would feel and although I could use "the dismisall" it'd eat at me. I like the candy idea, maybe carrying small denominations of currency that you work into your budget would be good too but how is that so much different to a dismissal? It doesn't really help it just makes you feel better than blowing them off. I hadn’t really thought about how I would handle this until now but reading I know the emotions I would feel and although I could use “the dismisall” it’d eat at me. I like the candy idea, maybe carrying small denominations of currency that you work into your budget would be good too but how is that so much different to a dismissal? It doesn’t really help it just makes you feel better than blowing them off.

(Report comment)

]]> By: ianmack http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/04/19/the-secret-to-avoiding-beggars/comment-page-1/#comment-1792 ianmack Thu, 19 Apr 2007 16:22:11 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/04/19/the-secret-to-avoiding-beggars/#comment-1792 hi kym -- thanks for your comments. to me, confronting a beggar is a bit like staring at the worst parts of yourself in the mirror. you want to fix things but it can be too horrible or difficult to act. and on the other hand, it seems for each story of someone wanting to help street person, there's a story of how another beggar refused food (wanted money), was rude, or was simply out to scam. but what is the alternative to helping? i think our own personal intention to help is the only thing makes sense. you can't control if someone will appreciate the help or not, but if you can at least acknowledge them, and their suffering, it's step beyond "the dismissal" hi kym — thanks for your comments. to me, confronting a beggar is a bit like staring at the worst parts of yourself in the mirror. you want to fix things but it can be too horrible or difficult to act.

and on the other hand, it seems for each story of someone wanting to help street person, there’s a story of how another beggar refused food (wanted money), was rude, or was simply out to scam. but what is the alternative to helping?

i think our own personal intention to help is the only thing makes sense. you can’t control if someone will appreciate the help or not, but if you can at least acknowledge them, and their suffering, it’s step beyond “the dismissal”

(Report comment)

]]> By: kym beckwith http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/04/19/the-secret-to-avoiding-beggars/comment-page-1/#comment-1791 kym beckwith Thu, 19 Apr 2007 16:12:54 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/04/19/the-secret-to-avoiding-beggars/#comment-1791 Thanks for giving this action a word, "the dismissal" I've used, I've seen it and it works yet it still leaves us with the core feeling of shame. I've used another way of coping. I carry a bag of candy and hand it out to beggars as I look them in the eye and offer a smile. I have had different reactions to this. One small child kicked me in the shin... little con artist got me laughing so hard and that really pissed her off, but most of the time, I get a smile back and that feels a little better to the soul~ Thanks AJ Thanks for giving this action a word, “the dismissal” I’ve used, I’ve seen it and it works yet it still leaves us with the core feeling of shame. I’ve used another way of coping. I carry a bag of candy and hand it out to beggars as I look them in the eye and offer a smile. I have had different reactions to this. One small child kicked me in the shin… little con artist got me laughing so hard and that really pissed her off, but most of the time, I get a smile back and that feels a little better to the soul~
Thanks AJ

(Report comment)

]]>