Seven minors caught begging after midnight in central town

AMMAN – Seven minors, including five girls, have recently been caught begging at 1am in Madaba Governorate, prompting authorities to refer them to a beggars rehabilitation centre in the governorate, according to an informed source. 

After they detected the issue, the Social Development Ministry’s anti-vagrancy inspectors immediately contacted the on-call judge so he/she could issue an order to refer the minors to a rehabilitation centre as stipulated in the law, noted Fawaz Ratrout, the ministry’s spokesperson. 

“We have a very efficient system that allowed the inspectors to address the issue on the spot. Having anti-vagrancy committees that work around-the-clock and an on-call judge contributed to protecting the minors who were wandering the street at a very late hour,” he told The Jordan Times on Wednesday. 

Ratrout noted that the recently-caught juveniles will stay at the rehabilitation facility until a judicial ruling decide if they should return to their families after legal action is taken against them or if they should stay at the centre. 

Under the law, 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.

The ministry has detained around 2,900 beggars since the start of the year, including 2,100 adults and 800 minors, according to the spokesperson.

“We attribute the increase in the number of detained beggars to the intensified campaigns we are carrying out against them,” Ratrout highlighted. 

In a previous interview with The Jordan Times, he underlined the need for legislative amendments that would impose stricter penalties on violators as the judiciary commonly penalises them with fines and bails they are usually able to afford.  

This tends to let released detainees to go back to the streets over and over, he said.

To address the issue, the ministry has been working on a strategy, in cooperation with UNICEF, which will be released soon. It will address short, medium and long-term measures, Ratrout stated.

The strategy will be translated into efforts to enhance public awareness and to enact legislative amendments, he concluded.