Morocco Leads Arab World in Homelessness and Begging, Official Data Shows

According to official statistics, Morocco is the country most affected by this social scourge, with 195,000 beggars, followed by Egypt with 41,000 and Algeria in third place with 11,000 beggars.

The issue of begging was the subject of a debate at the House of Advisors on June 4, in the presence of the Minister of Family and Solidarity, Bassima Hakaoui. The session focused on the different forms of begging, as well as the solutions to be proposed to address it.

Among these forms, there are individuals who use children or newborns for begging purposes. Crying and lamentations, physical or health defects, donations for the construction of mosques, electricity bills, rent or medical prescriptions, holiday periods or Ramadan. These are means exploited by beggars to arouse interest and compassion.

Several factors are at the origin of this social scourge, according to the deputies, who insisted on the need to implement pragmatic solutions, at both the social and economic levels. Poverty, unemployment and the high cost of living are the main culprits for the proliferation of this phenomenon, although other, more subjective elements are to blame.