Marrakech Cracks Down on Begging Amid Tourism Concerns

The minister presented a comprehensive strategy to curb begging and its corollaries, such as the exploitation of children and threats to public safety.

The figures testify to the scale of the system. Over the past nine months, 2,557 people have been arrested for begging, including 181 foreigners from sub-Saharan Africa. More than 2,000 of them have been taken into custody. The Marrakech security services have stepped up their presence on the ground. Police, gendarmes and auxiliary forces patrol the areas where begging is most prevalent: stations, mosques, cafes and tourist sites.

Surveillance cameras, patrols and rapid interventions constitute the arsenal deployed by the authorities. The action is part of a national strategy to combat begging, intensified during periods of high tourist influx and religious holidays. While repression is necessary, with the application of the penalties provided for in the Penal Code, the minister emphasized the importance of social support. In connection with the justice system and social actors, solutions are being sought to help people in precarious situations and tackle the root causes of begging.