# Begging

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{{Short description|Demanding favors in public}}
{{other uses}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|Begger|Begga|Bega (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Beggars in the street 2.JPG|thumb|Beggar in the street of [Nishapur](/source/Nishapur), Iran, 2009]]
[[File:A beggar in Denver, USA in 2018.jpg|thumb|Begging directed at passing traffic, [Denver](/source/Denver), Colorado, 2018]]
[[File:Woman begging.jpg|thumb|Begging at traffic lights in [Patras](/source/Patras), Greece, 2010]]
[[File:Beggar in Uppsala, Sweden.jpg|thumb|Beggar in [Uppsala](/source/Uppsala), Sweden, 2014]]
[[File:BeggarsSarnath2010.jpg|thumb|Begging from visitors to a holy site, [Sarnath](/source/Sarnath), India, 2010]]
'''Begging''' (also known in North America as '''panhandling''') is the practice of imploring others to grant a favor, often a gift of [money](/source/money), with little or no expectation of reciprocation. A person doing such is called a '''beggar''' or '''panhandler'''. Beggars may operate in [public places](/source/public_space) such as transport routes, urban parks, and markets. Besides money, they may also ask for food, drink, cigarettes or other small items.

[Internet begging](/source/Internet_begging) is the modern practice of asking people to give money to others via the [Internet](/source/Internet), rather than in person. Internet begging may encompass requests for help meeting [basic needs](/source/basic_needs) such as medical care and shelter, as well as requests for people to pay for [vacation](/source/vacation)s, [school trips](/source/school_trips), and other things that the beggar wants but cannot ostensibly afford.<ref>{{Cite magazine|first=Gina|last=Martinez|title=GoFundMe CEO: One-Third of Site's Donations Are to Cover Medical Costs|url=https://time.com/5516037/gofundme-medical-bills-one-third-ceo/|access-date=2020-10-17|magazine=Time|archive-date=2023-07-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230712235600/https://time.com/5516037/gofundme-medical-bills-one-third-ceo/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=McClanahan|first=Carolyn|title=People Are Raising $650 Million On GoFundMe Each Year To Attack Rising Healthcare Costs|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolynmcclanahan/2018/08/13/using-gofundme-to-attack-health-care-costs/|access-date=2020-10-17|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref>

Beggars differ from religious [mendicant](/source/mendicant)s in that some mendicants do not ask for money. Their subsistence is reciprocated by providing society with various forms of [religious service](/source/Church_service), [moral education](/source/moral_education), and preservation of [culture](/source/culture).

Passersby often prefer to give beggars food or water rather than cash.<ref name=Sorokowska2021>{{cite journal|last1=Sorokowska|first1=A.|last2=Marczak|first2=M.|last3=Misiak|first3=M.|last4=Oleszkiewicz|first4=A.|last5=Niemczyk|first5=A.|last6=Wróbel|first6=M.|last7=Sorokowski|first7=P.|title=Humans tend to share food more generously than money and other objects: Preliminary evidence|journal=European Journal of Social Psychology|year=2021|volume=51|issue=3 |pages=427–435|doi=10.1002/ejsp.2747 |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.2747|url-access=subscription}}
</ref>

==History==
[[File:Beggars in Rabat.tif|thumb|Two beggars in [Rabat](/source/Rabat) ([Morocco](/source/Morocco)), 1960.]]
Beggars have existed in human society since the dawn of recorded history. Street begging has happened in most societies around the world, though its prevalence and exact form vary.

===Greece===
[Ancient Greeks](/source/Ancient_Greeks) distinguished between the ''pénēs'' (Greek: πένης, "active poor") and the ''ptōchós'' (Greek: πτωχός, "passive poor"). The ''pénēs'' was somebody with a job, only not enough to make a living, while the ''ptōchós'' depended on others entirely. The [working poor](/source/working_poor) were accorded a higher social status.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cavallo|first=Guglielmo|author-link=Guglielmo Cavallo|title=The Byzantines|page=15|year=1997|location=Chicago|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-09792-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FJDRx6FAi0EC}}</ref> The [New Testament](/source/New_Testament) contains several references to [Jesus](/source/Jesus)' status as the savior of the ''ptochos'', usually translated as "the poor", considered the most wretched portion of society. In the [rich man and Lazarus](/source/rich_man_and_Lazarus) parable, Lazarus is called 'ptochos' and presented as living in extreme poverty.
''Agyrtae'' (ἀγύρται) were wandering beggars or alms collectors in ancient Greece, often linked to religious practices and fortune-telling. They were generally seen as disreputable figures, sometimes offering to perform harmful acts for payment or to obtain forgiveness from the gods whom they served for any sins. Their presence extended to Italy with the spread of the cult of Isis, Cybele and other such deities, but Roman law tightly regulated their activities,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0063:entry=agyrtae-cn|title=A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), AGYRTAE|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref> Romans called them ''aeruscatores''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0062:entry=aeruscatores-harpers|title=Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898), Aeruscatōres|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref>

===Great Britain===
''A Caveat or Warning for Common Cursitors, vulgarly called vagabonds'', was first published in 1566 by [Thomas Harman](/source/Thomas_Harman). From early modern England, another example is [Robert Greene](/source/Robert_Greene_(16th_century)) in his [coney-catching](/source/coney-catching) pamphlets, the titles of which included "The Defence of Conny-catching," in which he argued there were worse crimes to be found among "reputable" people. ''[The Beggar's Opera](/source/The_Beggar's_Opera)'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay. ''The Life and Adventures of [Bampfylde Moore Carew](/source/Bampfylde_Moore_Carew)'' was first published in 1745. There are similar writers for many European countries in the early modern period.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

According to [Jackson J. Spielvogel](/source/Jackson_J._Spielvogel), "Poverty was a highly visible problem in the eighteenth century, both in cities and in the countryside... Beggars in Bologna were estimated at 25 percent of the population; in Mainz, figures indicate that 30 percent of the people were beggars or prostitutes... In France and Britain by the end of the century, an estimated 10 percent of the people depended on charity or begging for their food."<ref>Jackson J. Spielvogel (2008). "''[https://books.google.com/books?id=fwxLkRmd-4QC Western Civilization: Since 1500]''". Cengage Learning. p.566. {{ISBN|0-495-50287-1}}</ref>

The British [Poor Law](/source/Poor_Law)s, dating from the [Renaissance](/source/Renaissance), placed various restrictions on begging. At various times, begging was restricted to the [disabled](/source/disability). This system developed into the [workhouse](/source/workhouse), a state-operated institution where those unable to obtain other employment were forced to work in often grim conditions in exchange for a small amount of food. The [welfare state](/source/welfare_state) of the 20th century greatly reduced the number of beggars by directly providing for the necessities of the poor from state funds.

===India===
[[File:India - Kolkata street beggar - 3246.jpg|thumb|A street beggar in [Kolkata](/source/Kolkata) reaches into a car]]

Begging is an age-old social phenomenon in [India](/source/India). In the medieval and earlier times begging was considered to be an acceptable occupation which was embraced within the traditional [social structure](/source/social_structure).<ref>{{Cite journal|title=The Administration of Beggary Prevention Laws in India: a legal aid viewpoint|last=Pande|first=B.B|journal=International Journal of the Sociology of Law |volume=11|year=1983 |pages=291–304}}</ref> This system of begging and almsgiving to mendicants and the poor is still widely practiced in India, with over 500,000 beggars in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/over-4-lakh-beggars-in-india-west-bengal-tops-the-list-among-states-1207034|title=Over 4 Lakh Beggars in India, West Bengal Tops the List Among States|website=www.ndtv.com}}</ref>

In contemporary India, beggars are often stigmatized as undeserving. People often believe that beggars are not destitute and instead call them professional beggars.{{Vague|date=May 2018}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.storypick.com/professional-beggars-in-india/|website=Storypick|title=6 Professional Beggars In India Who Are Probably Richer Than You & I|date=2015-07-25}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=May 2018}} There is a wide perception of begging scams.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://goindia.about.com/od/annoyancesinconveniences/p/indiabegging.htm|title=India Beggars and Begging Scams: What You Should Know|access-date=2016-03-22|archive-date=2017-03-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305094915/http://goindia.about.com/od/annoyancesinconveniences/p/indiabegging.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> This view is refuted by grassroots research organizations such as Aashray Adhikar Abhiyan, which claim that beggars and other homeless people are overwhelmingly destitute and vulnerable. Their studies indicate that 99 percent of men and 97 percent of women resort to beggary due to abject poverty, distress migration from rural villages and the unavailability of employment.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=People Without A Nation: the destituted people; A documented outcome of the national consultation on Urban Poor: Special Focus on Beggary and Vagrancy Laws- the issue of De-custodialisation (De-criminalization)|author=AAA, Ashray Adhikar Abhiyan|year=2006|location=Print-O-Graph, New Delhi|page=8}}</ref>

===China===

====Ming dynasty====
After the establishment of the [Ming dynasty](/source/Ming_dynasty), many farmers and unemployed laborers in [Beijing](/source/Beijing) were forced to beg to survive.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Dangerous Women: Warriors, Grannies, and Geishas of the Ming|last=Cass|first=Victoria|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|year=1999|isbn=0-8476-9395-3|location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/dangerouswomen00vict/page/7 7]|url=https://archive.org/details/dangerouswomen00vict/page/7}}</ref> Begging was especially difficult during Ming times due to high taxes that limited the disposable income of most individuals.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=China and England: The Preindustrial Struggle for Justice in Word and Image|last=Powers|first=Martin|publisher=Routledge|year=2019|isbn=978-1138504035|location=New York|pages=175}}</ref> Beijing's harsh winters were a difficult challenge for beggars. To avoid freezing to death, some beggars paid porters one copper coin to sleep in their warehouse for the night. Others turned to burying themselves in manure and eating [arsenic](/source/arsenic) to avoid the pain of the cold. Thousands of beggars died of poison and exposure to the elements every year.<ref name=":1" />

Begging was some people's primary occupation. A [Qing dynasty](/source/Qing_dynasty) source states that "professional beggars" were not considered to be [destitute](/source/Extreme_poverty), and as such were not allowed to receive government relief, such as food rations, clothing, and shelter.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Complete Book Concerning Happiness and Benevolence: A Manual for Local Magistrates in Seventeenth-Century China|last=Liu-Hung|first=Huang|publisher=The University of Arizona Press|year=1984|isbn=0-8165-0820-8|location=Arizona|pages=554|translator-last=Djang|translator-first=Chu}}</ref> Beggars would often perform, or train animals to perform, to earn money from passers-by.<ref name=":2" /> Although beggars were of low status in Ming, they were considered to have higher social standing than prostitutes, entertainers, runners, and soldiers.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|title=Feng|last=Feng|first=Menglong|publisher=University of Washington Press|year=2000|isbn=0-295-97843-0|location=Seattle|pages=478–480|translator-last=Shuhui|translator-first=Yang|translator-last2=Yunqin|translator-first2=Yang}}</ref>

Some individuals capitalized on beggars and became "Beggar Chiefs". Beggar chiefs provided security in the form of food for beggars and in return received a portion of beggars' daily earnings as tribute. Beggar chiefs would often lend their surplus income back to beggars and charge interest, furthering their subjects' dependence on them to the point of near slavery. Although beggar chiefs could acquire significant wealth, they were still looked upon as low-class citizens. The title of beggar chief was often passed down family lines and could stick with an individual through occupational changes.<ref name=":3" />

== Ritualized begging and customs ==
In many cultures, begging is not only an act of individual desperation but is integrated into communal rituals, seasonal cycles, and religious observances. Anthropologists often categorize these practices as "ritualized begging" or "reciprocal exchange," where the seeker provides a spiritual or entertainment-related service (such as prayers, songs, or blessings) in exchange for food, drink, or money.<ref name="Turner1969">{{cite book |last=Turner |first=Victor |title=The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure |publisher=Aldine Publishing |year=1969 |isbn=978-0202010434}}</ref> In these contexts, the "beggar" is often not a permanent member of the indigent class but a neighbor or child assuming a temporary ritual role.<ref name="NotesUK">{{cite web |url=https://notesfromtheuk.com/2021/12/24/wassailing-and-english-traditions/ |title=Wassailing and English traditions |publisher=Notes from the U.K. |date=December 24, 2021 |access-date=March 27, 2026}}</ref>

=== Religious and monastic traditions ===
{{Main|Mendicant}}
thumb|A mendicant outside ''Kalkaji Mandir'' in Delhi, India
Many religions have prescribed begging as the primary means of support for certain classes of adherents, including [Hinduism](/source/Hinduism), [Sufism](/source/Sufism), [Buddhism](/source/Buddhism), and [Christianity](/source/Christianity). In this context, [mendicancy](/source/Mendicant) typically provides a way for adherents to focus exclusively on spiritual development without the distractions of worldly affairs.

In [Dharmic religions](/source/Dharmic_religions), the practice of ''[Bhiksha](/source/Bhiksha)'' involves monastics or ascetics seeking alms from laypeople. Unlike secular begging, ''Bhiksha'' is viewed as a merit-earning opportunity for the donor, who receives spiritual guidance or blessings in exchange for sustenance. The practitioner is not seen as a "beggar" in a derogatory sense, but as an essential part of the religious ecosystem.<ref name="AnthroOxford">{{cite web |url=https://www.anthro.ox.ac.uk/ritual-community-and-conflict |title=Ritual, Community, and Conflict |publisher=School of Anthropology & Museum Ethnography, Oxford |access-date=March 27, 2026}}</ref> In modern [Myanmar](/source/Myanmar), [Thailand](/source/Thailand), and [Cambodia](/source/Cambodia), householders often provide food to monks daily to gain religious merit.

In the [Abrahamic religions](/source/Abrahamic_religions), charity and almsgiving are central tenets. [Tzedakah](/source/Tzedakah) in [Judaism](/source/Judaism) requires a monetary tithe (often 10% of income) to be given to the poor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh,_Yoreh_De%27ah.249|title=Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh De'ah 249|website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> In [Christianity](/source/Christianity), the example of [Jesus](/source/Jesus), who encouraged his disciples to "take nothing for their journey," inspired mendicant orders such as the [Franciscans](/source/Franciscans) and [Dominicans](/source/Dominican_Order).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bibleserver.com/text/ESV/Mark6,8|title = Mark 6:8}}</ref>

Historically, religious begging could also lead to significant social mobility. The [Zhu Yuanzhang](/source/Hongwu_Emperor), founder of the [Ming Dynasty](/source/Ming_Dynasty), spent his youth as a mendicant monk begging for food during a famine before rising to power.<ref>{{Cite book|title=From the Mongols to the Ming Dynasty : How a Begging Monk Became Emperor of China, Zhu Yuan Zhang|last=Hung|first=Hing Ming|publisher=Algora Publishing|year=2016|isbn=978-1628941524|location=New York|pages=21–22}}</ref>

=== Folk and seasonal traditions ===
Aside from permanent religious roles, various cultures maintain seasonal customs involving door-to-door processions where participants solicit rewards in exchange for performances or blessings.

* '''Souling:''' Historically practiced during [Allhallowtide](/source/Allhallowtide), "souling" involved the poor or children singing "souling songs" and offering prayers for the deceased in exchange for "[soul cake](/source/soul_cake)s."<ref name="NatGeoTrick">{{cite web |author=National Geographic |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/the-history-of-trick-or-treating-and-how-it-became-a-halloween-tradition |title=How Trick-or-Treating Became a Halloween Tradition |date=October 27, 2021 |access-date=March 27, 2026}}</ref>
* '''Wassailing:''' A [Christmas](/source/Christmas) and [Twelfth Night](/source/Twelfth_Night) custom where [wassailers](/source/Wassailing) offered a drink from a "wassail bowl" and sang carols to wish health to householders in exchange for food or money.<ref name="NotesUK" />
* '''Heischebrauch:''' A German term for "petitioning customs," including the ''Sternsinger'' (Star Singers) during [Epiphany](/source/Epiphany_(holiday)) and ''Fastnacht'' (Carnival) traditions where masked participants solicit treats.<ref name="Richter2005">{{cite journal |last=Richter |first=Anja |title=Ein Fest für Schule und Stadt. Das Freiberger Gregoriusfest bis zu seiner Aufhebung 1835 |journal=Volkskunde in Sachsen |volume=17 |year=2005 |pages=31–55}}</ref>
* '''Gregori-singen:''' A Central European school tradition associated with [Gregoriusfest](/source/Feast_of_St._Gregory), where children sang hymns in honor of [Pope Gregory I](/source/Pope_Gregory_I) to solicit school supplies or food.<ref name="Richter2005" />

=== Modern evolution ===
In contemporary secular society, ritualized begging survives primarily in the form of [trick-or-treating](/source/trick-or-treating) during [Halloween](/source/Halloween). While the "trick" (a threat of mischief) was historically a more aggressive part of the exchange, modern practice has largely shifted toward a symbolic social interaction limited to children.<ref name="NatGeoTrick" />

==Legal restrictions==
{{see also|Anti-homelessness legislation}}
[[File:Kindness meter ottawa 2011.jpeg|thumb|A kindness meter (below the red parking meter) in [Ottawa, Ontario](/source/Ottawa), Canada. The meter accepts donations for charitable efforts as part of an official effort to discourage panhandling.]]
[[File:Signs in Sarahan, India.jpg|thumb|"Please do not encourage the beggars", [Sarahan](/source/Sarahan), India]]
Begging has been restricted or prohibited at various times and for various reasons, typically revolving around a desire to preserve [public order](/source/Public-order_crime) or to induce people to [work](/source/Manual_labour) rather than to beg. Various European [Poor Law](/source/Poor_Law)s prohibited or regulated begging from the [Renaissance](/source/Renaissance) to modern times, with varying levels of effectiveness and enforcement. Similar laws were adopted by many developing countries.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}

"[Aggressive panhandling](/source/Aggressive_panhandling)" has been specifically prohibited by law in various jurisdictions in the United States and Canada, typically defined as persistent or intimidating begging.<ref name=OK>{{cite news|url=http://newsok.com/in-tough-times-panhandling-may-increase-in-oklahoma-city/article/3318618|title=In tough times, panhandling may increase in Oklahoma City|first=Johnny|last=Johnson|date=November 3, 2008|newspaper=The Oklahoman}}</ref>

===Afghanistan===
Begging is banned in [Afghanistan](/source/Afghanistan),<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-begging-kabul-economic-crisis/32284304.html |first=Nargis Momand |last=Hasanzai|title='I Have No Choice': Cleared From The Streets, Kabul's Poorest Go Door-To-Door In Search Of Alms |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |date=February 23, 2023 |access-date=2023-03-26}}</ref> which mostly exists in [Kabul](/source/Kabul), [Herat](/source/Herat) and [Mazar-i-Sharif](/source/Mazar-i-Sharif).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/provincial-182859 |title=Authorities Begin Campaign to Round Up Beggars in Balkh |first= Aziz Rahman |last=Abram|work=TOLOnews |date=April 7, 2023 |access-date=2023-04-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://pajhwok.com/2022/08/23/in-herat-population-of-beggars-surges-by-30pc/ |first=Benyamin |last=Bariz|title=In Herat, population of beggars surges by 30pc |work=Pajhwok Afghan News |date=August 23, 2022 |access-date=2023-03-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-191276 |title=Islamic Emirate: '62,000' People Begging Were Collected in Past 2 Years |work=TOLOnews |date=March 6, 2023 |access-date=2023-03-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ariananews.af/kabul-rounds-up-over-28000-beggars/ |title=Kabul rounds up over 28,000 beggars |work=Ariana News |date=October 20, 2024 |access-date=2024-10-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://pajhwok.com/2022/09/22/women-make-most-of-the-rounded-up-beggars/ |title=Women make most of the rounded up beggars |work=Pajhwok Afghan News |date=September 22, 2022 |access-date=2023-03-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-179377 |title=Committee Formed to Provide Aid to Those Begging on Kabul Streets: Baradar |work=TOLOnews |date=August 13, 2022 |access-date=2023-03-26}}</ref>

===Australia===
Each state and territory in [Australia](/source/Australia) has specific laws regarding begging and panhandling. Begging for [alms](/source/alms) is illegal in [Victoria](/source/Victoria_(Australia)), [South Australia](/source/South_Australia), [Northern Territory](/source/Northern_Territory), and [Queensland](/source/Queensland).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-18/calls-for-ban-on-begging-to-be-lifted/7943714|title=Welfare organisations call for begging to be decriminalised|last=Nightingale|first=Tom|date=2016-10-18|website=ABC News|access-date=2019-07-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www7.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/sa/consol_act/soa1953189/s12.html|title=Summary Offences Act 1953 – Sect. 12|work=South Australian Government|access-date=2018-07-27|archive-date=2020-04-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200416234606/http://www6.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/sa/consol_act/soa1953189/s12.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Austria===
There is no nationwide ban but it is illegal in several federal states.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

===Belarus===
It is legal to beg in Belarus.<ref>{{cite news |title=As Economy Reels, Belarusian Beggars Face Cold Shoulder From Authorities |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus_begging_homel_orthodox_church/24461386.html |newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |date=24 January 2012 |access-date=28 May 2020}}</ref>

===Belgium===
Begging is legal in Belgium, but municipalities can restrict it.<ref>{{cite web |title=58 bedelaars moeten geld afgeven in Antwerpen |url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2018/04/20/58-bedelaars-moesten-geld-afgeven-afgelopen-jaar-in-antwerpen/ |publisher=VRT NWS |access-date=20 December 2022 |date=20 April 2018}}</ref>

===Brazil===
It is legal to beg in [Brazil](/source/Brazil), where, beyond that, the [SUS](/source/Sistema_%C3%9Anico_de_Sa%C3%BAde) (pronounced SOOS, an acronym for {{lang|pt-br|Sistema Único de Saúde}}, meaning "Unified Health System"), the national state-funded universal healthcare system, is legally mandated to provide free healthcare also to beggars.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 27, 2018|url=https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2018/08/27/agora-e-lei-morador-de-rua-deve-ser-atendido-pelo-sus|title=Agora é lei: morador de rua deve ser atendido pelo SUS|trans-title=Signed into law: the homeless must be attended by SUS|website=Senado Federal|publisher=[Brazilian Senate](/source/Brazilian_Senate)}}</ref>

===Bulgaria===
Systematic begging is illegal in [Bulgaria](/source/Bulgaria) by article 329 of the penal code.<ref>{{cite web |title=Criminal Code (SG No. 26/1968, as amended up to July 8, 2022)|url=https://www.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/laws/en/bg/bg024en.pdf}}</ref>

===Canada===
The province of [Ontario](/source/Ontario) introduced its [Safe Streets Act](/source/Safe_Streets_Act) in 1999 to restrict specific kinds of begging, particularly certain narrowly defined cases of "aggressive" or abusive begging.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/DBLaws/Statutes/English/99s08_e.htm |publisher=Government of Ontario |title=Safe Streets Act |year=1999 |access-date=2006-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902063618/http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/DBLaws/Statutes/English/99s08_e.htm |archive-date=2006-09-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2001 this law was upheld under the [Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms](/source/Canadian_Charter_of_Rights_and_Freedoms).<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/squeegee-kids-law-upheld-in-ontario-1.258129 | access-date=2006-09-29 | title='Squeegee kids' law upheld in Ontario | publisher=CBC News | date=2001-08-03 }}</ref> The law was further upheld by the [Court of Appeal for Ontario](/source/Court_of_Appeal_for_Ontario) in January 2007.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/squeegee-panhandling-washed-out-by-ontario-appeal-court-1.690313 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070509234955/http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2007/01/17/tor-squeegee.html | url-status=live | archive-date=May 9, 2007 | access-date=2007-03-19 | title=Squeegee panhandling washed out by Ontario Appeal Court | publisher=CBC News | date=2007-01-17 }}</ref>

One response to the anti-panhandling laws which were passed was the creation of the [Ottawa Panhandlers Union](/source/Ottawa_Panhandlers_Union) which fights for the political rights of panhandlers. The union is a shop of the [Industrial Workers of the World](/source/Industrial_Workers_of_the_World).{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}

[British Columbia](/source/British_Columbia) enacted its own [Safe Streets Act](/source/Safe_Streets_Act) in 2004 which resembles the Ontario law. There are also critics in that province who oppose such laws.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/bc/story/bc_graham20041026.html |access-date=2006-09-29 |publisher=CBC News |date=2004-10-26 |title=Police chief welcomes Safe Streets Act |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070510121642/http://www.cbc.ca/bc/story/bc_graham20041026.html |archive-date=2007-05-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Chile===
Begging in Chile has been decriminalized since 1998.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bcn.cl/leychile/navegar?idNorma=120617&idParte=7234444&idVersion=1998-07-01 | title=Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional &#124; Ley Chile }}</ref> Nevertheless, municipal governments from time to time attempt to reintroduce begging bans as city ordinances.

===China===
Begging in [China](/source/China) is illegal if:
* Coercing, decoying or utilizing others to beg;
* Forcing others to beg, repeatedly tangling or using other means of nuisance.

Those cases are violations of the Article 41 of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law of the People's Republic of China. For the first case, offenders would receive a detention between 10 days and 15 days, with an additional fine under [RMB](/source/Renminbi) 1,000; for the second case, it is punishable by a 5-day detention or warning.

According to Article 262(2) or the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, organizing disabled or children under 14 to beg is illegal and will be punished by up to 7 years in prison, and fined.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}}

===Denmark===
Historically beggars were controlled by the ''[Stodderkonge](/source/Stodderkonge)'' or 'beggar king' for a town or district. Today, begging in Denmark is illegal under section 197 of the penal code, which reads:

{{poemquote|
Whoever, despite a police warning, makes himself guilty of begging, or who allows someone under 18, who belongs to his household, to beg, is to be punished with prison up to 6 months. If there are extenuating circumstances, the punishment may be omitted. A warning in the context of this law is valid for 5 years.

2) The requirement for a warning does not apply when the act was taken on a pedestrian street, by a station, in or by a supermarket or in public transportation.

3) When determining punishment, it should be considered an aggravating circumstance if the act was taken in one of the places mentioned in 2).
}}
<ref name=svt_18jan2015>{{cite web|title=(swedish) I Haag stoppade man tiggarna med förbud|publisher=[Sveriges Television](/source/Sveriges_Television)|url=http://www.svt.se}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.themis.dk/searchinclude/Lovsamling/Straffeloven_kap_22.html |title=Straffeloven kap. 22 |language=da |access-date=2014-11-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109042722/http://www.themis.dk/searchinclude/Lovsamling/Straffeloven_kap_22.html |archive-date=2014-11-09 }}</ref> Furthermore, begging which causes insecurity in the streets (so-called ''utryghedsskabende tiggeri'') has a harsher penalty of up to 14 days prison.<ref>{{cite web |title=Vedtaget: Nu skal hjemløse 14 dage i fængsel for at tigge |url=https://nyheder.tv2.dk/politik/2017-06-14-vedtaget-nu-skal-hjemloese-14-dage-i-faengsel-for-at-tigge |website=TV2 |date=14 June 2017 |access-date=28 May 2020}}</ref>

===England and Wales===
Begging is illegal under the [Vagrancy Act 1824](/source/Vagrancy_Act_1824). However, it does not carry a jail sentence and is not enforced in many cities,<ref>{{cite news|last=Bunyan|first=Nigel|date=2003-08-22|title=Beggar ban may spark nationwide crackdown|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1439443/Beggar-ban-may-spark-nationwide-crackdown.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1439443/Beggar-ban-may-spark-nationwide-crackdown.html |archive-date=2022-01-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2010-04-26}}{{cbignore}}</ref> although since the act applies in all public places, it is enforced more frequently on [public transport](/source/public_transport). Local authorities may issue [public spaces protection order](/source/public_spaces_protection_order)s for particular areas, making begging subject to a fine.<ref name="bbc-20190419">{{cite news|date=19 April 2019|title=Huge increase in Public Spaces Protection Order fines|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-47982434|access-date=19 April 2019}}</ref>

===Finland===
Begging has been legal in Finland since 1987 when the poor law was invalidated. In 2003, the Public Order Act replaced local government rules and decriminalized begging.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Authorities+powerless+to+act+against+beggars+with+children+in+tow+/1135229326508|title=Authorities powerless to act against beggars with children in tow|first=Tommi |last=Hannula |newspaper=Helsingin Sanomat|access-date=2009-10-27|archive-date=2014-06-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629150527/http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Authorities+powerless+to+act+against+beggars+with+children+in+tow+/1135229326508|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===France===

A law against begging ended in 1994; however, begging with aggressive animals or children is still outlawed.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}
[[File:Alénya mendicité interdite.jpg|thumb|Historical plaque "Begging forbidden in the Pyrénées-Orientales" in [Alénya](/source/%3Aen%3AAl%C3%A9nya), [Département Pyrénées-Orientales](/source/%3Aen%3APyr%C3%A9n%C3%A9es-Orientales), France.]]

===Greece===
Under article 407 of the Greek Penal Code, begging was punishable by up to 6 months in jail and up to a 3000 euro fine. However, this law was repealed in October 2018, after protests from street musicians in the city of Thessaloniki.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.lawspot.gr/nomika-nea/katargeitai-arthro-407-toy-poinikoy-kodika-gia-tin-epaiteia|title=Καταργείται το άρθρο 407 του Ποινικού Κώδικα για την επαιτεία|language=el|date=2018-10-30}}</ref>

===Hungary===
Hungary has a nationwide ban. This may include stricter related laws in cities such as [Budapest](/source/Budapest), which also prohibits picking things from rubbish bins.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

===India===
Begging is criminalized in cities such as [Mumbai](/source/Mumbai) and [Delhi](/source/Delhi) as per the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, BPBA (1959).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://delhi.gov.in/wps/wcm/connect/f2214e0043383b63b2d1f3cf71a315bd/THE+BOMBAY+PREVENTION+OF.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&lmod=-716342930&CACHEID=f2214e0043383b63b2d1f3cf71a315bd|title=The Bombay Prevention of Begging Act|year=1959}}</ref> Under this law, officials of the Social Welfare Department, assisted by the police, conduct [raids](/source/Police_raid) to pick up beggars who they then try in special courts called 'beggar courts'. If convicted, they are sent to certified institutions called 'beggar homes', also known as ''Sewa Kutir'', for a period ranging from one to ten years for detention, training and employment. The government of Delhi, besides criminalizing alms-seeking, has also criminalized almsgiving at traffic signals, to reduce the 'nuisance' of begging and ensure the smooth flow of traffic.

Aashray Adhikar Abhiyan and the [People's Union for Civil Liberties](/source/People's_Union_for_Civil_Liberties) (PUCL) have criticized this Act and advocated for its repeal.<ref name="Criminalizing Poverty">{{Cite web|url=http://www.pucl.org/Topics/Industries-envirn-resettlement/2004/criminalise-poverty.htm|title=Criminalizing Poverty|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012071651/http://www.pucl.org/Topics/Industries-envirn-resettlement/2004/criminalise-poverty.htm|archive-date=2016-10-12|url-status=dead}}</ref> Section 2(1) of the BPBA broadly defines 'beggars' as those individuals who directly solicit alms, as well as those who have no visible means of subsistence and are found wandering around. Therefore, as a result of the enforcement of this law, the homeless are often mistaken for beggars.<ref name=":0" /> Beggar homes, which are meant to provide vocational training, have often been found to have abysmal living conditions.<ref name="Criminalizing Poverty"/>

In 2018, the [Delhi High Court](/source/Delhi_High_Court) declared 25 provisions of the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act (1959) as unconstitutional, following petitions filed by [Harsh Mander](/source/Harsh_Mander) and Karnika Sawhney.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Singh|first=Soibam Rocky|date=2018-08-08|title=Delhi High Court decriminalises begging in the national capital|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/delhi-hc-decriminalises-begging-in-national-capital/article24631922.ece|access-date=2021-11-07|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> In 2021, the [Supreme Court](/source/Supreme_Court_of_India) refused to ban begging and observed that begging was a socioeconomic problem.<ref>{{Cite web|title='Can't ban begging': SC issues notice to Centre, Delhi government for beggars' COVID vaccination|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/delhi/2021/jul/27/cant-ban-begging-sc-issues-notice-to-centre-delhi-government-forbeggars-covid-vaccination-2336161.html|access-date=2021-11-07|website=The New Indian Express|date=27 July 2021 }}</ref>

===Ireland===
"Passive" begging is legal in [Ireland](/source/Republic_of_Ireland), but begging "in an aggressive, intimidating or threatening manner" is illegal, punishable by a fine. [Gardaí](/source/Garda%C3%AD) (police) can also direct people begging in certain areas to move on, e.g. at an [ATM](/source/Automated_teller_machine), night [safe](/source/safe), [vending machine](/source/vending_machine) or shop entrance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/justice/criminal_law/criminal_offences/public_order_offenses_in_ireland.html|title=Public order offences|website=www.citizensinformation.ie}}</ref>

It is also illegal to "organise or direct someone else to beg;" under the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 2011, punishable by a €200,000 fine or up to 5 years in prison; this law was adopted in response to organised begging by [Romani](/source/Romani_people) gangs.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/herald/roma-begging-gangs-broken-up/27992042.html|title=Roma begging gangs broken up|website=The Irish Independent|first=Niall|last=O'Connor|date=20 October 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thejournal.ie/beggars-dublin-80-report-3287641-Mar2017/|title='It's only getting worse': Up to 80 beggars on Dublin's city streets at any one time|first=Garreth|last=MacNamee|website=TheJournal.ie|date=15 March 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishcentral.com/news/gangs-of-beggars-suspected-of-being-trafficked-into-ireland-from-romania|title=Gangs of beggars suspected of being trafficked into Ireland|date=December 26, 2017|website=IrishCentral.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2019/03/26/news/judge-hits-out-at-gang-of-professional-beggars-who-fly-in-and-out-of-romania-in-shifts-1582339/|title=Judge hits out at 'gang of professional beggars' who fly in and out of Romania in shifts|date=25 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishcentral.com/news/irishvoice/irelands-big-street-begging-scam|first=John |last=Spain|title=Ireland's big street begging scam|date=March 29, 2019|website=IrishCentral.com}}</ref>

Prior to the 2011, begging was outlawed by the [Vagrancy (Ireland) Act 1847](/source/Vagrancy_(Ireland)_Act_1847), adopted during the [Great Famine](/source/Great_Famine_(Ireland)), until a 2007 [High Court](/source/High_Court_(Ireland)) ruling said that it was [too vague](/source/vagueness) and incompatible with the [Constitution of Ireland](/source/Constitution_of_Ireland)'s protection of [freedom of speech](/source/freedom_of_speech).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/begging-crackdown-law-comes-into-force-26645647.html|title=Begging crackdown law comes into force|website=independent|date=2 February 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/court-challenge-to-begging-law-succeeds-1.1292645|title=Court challenge to begging law succeeds|first=Mary|last=Carolan|newspaper=The Irish Times}}</ref>

===Italy===
Begging with children or animals is forbidden, but the law is not enforced.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

===Japan===
[Buddhist monk](/source/Buddhist_monk)s appear in public when begging for alms.<ref name=JNTO>{{cite web | url=http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/indepth/featuredarticles/kie/zen/kie_zen_01.html | publisher=Japan National Tourist Organisation | access-date=2008-07-27 | title=The Zen – Teaching of Mu }}</ref>

===Latvia===
Begging was made illegal in the historic city center of [Riga](/source/Riga) in 2012. Begging in Riga outside the historic city center requires that the beggar carries ID.<ref>{{cite news |title=Begging in downtown Riga banned |url=https://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/31638/ |access-date=4 May 2020 |work=The Baltic Times |date=2012-08-01}}</ref>

===Lithuania===
It is illegal to beg in the capital [Vilnius](/source/Vilnius). It is also illegal to give money to a beggar. Both can receive a fine of up to 2,000 litas (€770).<ref>{{cite news |title=Lithuania Cracks Down On Beggars And Almsgivers |url=https://www.salon.com/2011/12/05/lithuania_cracks_down_on_beggars_and_almsgivers/ |access-date=4 May 2020 |work=Salon|date=5 December 2011}}</ref>

===Luxembourg===
Begging in [Luxembourg](/source/Luxembourg) is legal, except when it is indulged in as a group or the beggar is a part of an organised effort. According to [Chachipe](/source/Chachipe), a [Roma](/source/Romani_people) rights advocacy [NGO](/source/NGO), 1639 begging cases were reported by Luxembourgish law enforcement authorities. Roma beggars were arrested, handcuffed, taken to police stations and held for hours and had their money confiscated.<ref name="CouncilOfEurope-20120601">{{cite web|url=http://www.assembly.coe.int/Communication/01062012_GrothRoma_E.pdf |title=The situation of Roma in Europe: movement and migration |last=Groth |first=Annette |date=2012-06-01 |publisher=Council of Europe: Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons |access-date=14 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140605052431/http://www.assembly.coe.int/Communication/01062012_GrothRoma_E.pdf |archive-date=5 June 2014 }}</ref>

===Nepal===
{{see also|Begging (Prohibition) Act, 1962}}
Although the Begging (Prohibition) Act was introduced in 1962,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/natlex4.detail?p_lang=&p_isn=71667&p_classification=04|title=Nepal – Begging (Prohibition) Act, 1962.|website=ilo.org|access-date=2019-06-06}}</ref> this has not been enforced and the begging population in the capital, [Kathmandu](/source/Kathmandu) has since grown to over 5,000, according to police estimates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/printedition/news/2014-08-13/beggar-population-swells-as-anti-begging-act-gathers-dust.html|title=Beggar population swells as anti-begging Act gathers dust|website=kathmandupost.ekantipur.com|access-date=2019-06-06}}</ref> Besides the common begging tricks such as asking for money or asking for milk which will be returned to the shop for money, there is a unique scam in Nepal which involves asking a foreigner to buy a shoe box at an inflated price. This shoe box is claimed to help provide a sustainable livelihood for the beggar but in fact, will be returned to the seller for money.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://travelscams.org/asia/nepal/|title=21 Tourist targeted scams in Nepal|website=Travelscams.org|access-date=2019-06-06}}</ref>

===Norway===
Begging is banned in some counties and there were plans for a nationwide ban in 2015; however, this proposal was dropped after the [Centre Party](/source/Centre_Party_(Norway)) withdrew their support.<ref name=svt_18jan2015/>{{failed verification|date=July 2025}}

===Pakistan===
{{main|Begging in Pakistan}}

===Philippines===
Begging is prohibited in the [Philippines](/source/Philippines) under the Anti-Mendicancy Law of 1978 although this is not strictly enforced.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Borromeo|first1=Rene|title=Should you give to beggars? Cebu City's Anti-Mendicancy Campaign|url=http://www.philstar.com/cebu-news/2013/12/16/1268717/should-you-give-beggars-cebu-citys-anti-mendicancy-campaign|access-date=15 April 2015|publisher=The Freeman|date=16 December 2013|location=Cebu|language=ceb, en}}</ref>

===Poland===
In [Poland](/source/Poland), it is illegal to beg under the Code of petty offences, if they are able to hold a job or ''beg in public in a pressing or fraudulently'' (Article 58).<ref>[https://www.global-regulation.com/translation/poland/2986393/act-of-20-may-1971-the-code-of-offences.html Act Of 20 May 1971 The Code Of Offences]</ref> The beggar is due to a fine of €365.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.housingrightswatch.org/sites/default/files/2012-12-11_RPT_POLAND_anti_soc_laws_en.pdf|title=Memorandum In Relation To The Criminalization Of Homelessness In Hungary|publisher=Housing Rights Watch |access-date=5 May 2020}}</ref> ''Who tends to beg a minor or helpless person or dependant relative depending on him or dedicated under his custody, shall be punishable by detention, restriction of liberty or a fine'' (Article 104).

===Portugal===
In [Portugal](/source/Portugal), panhandlers normally beg in front of Catholic churches, at traffic lights or on special places in [Lisbon](/source/Lisbon) or [Porto](/source/Porto) downtowns. Begging is legal in Portugal. Many social and religious institutions support homeless people and panhandlers and the Portuguese Social Security normally gives them a survival monetary subsidy.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}

===Qatar===
Under the article 278 of the Qatari penal code, the maximum sentence for begging is one year. This sentence was increased from a maximum of three months before July 2006.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Al-Meezan 2|url=https://www.almeezan.qa/LawArticles.aspx?LawArticleID=870&LawID=26&language=en}}</ref> The alternative is housing in a specialized correctional facility. The money will be confiscated in any case.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Al Meezan|url=https://www.almeezan.qa/LawArticles.aspx?LawTreeSectionID=253&lawId=26&language=en}}</ref> This law is enforced, with a police division dedicated solely for that purpose.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Al-Arab News 1|newspaper=العرب القطرية |date=7 May 2018 |url=https://www.alarab.qa/story/1311398/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B7%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%85%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%AD%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%84-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%B6%D8%A7%D9%86}}</ref>

===Romania===
Law 61 of 1991<ref>{{Cite web |title=LEGE (A) 61 27/09/1991 - Portal Legislativ |url=https://legislatie.just.ro/Public/DetaliiDocument/279788 |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=legislatie.just.ro}}</ref> forbids the persistent call for the mercy of the public, by a person who is able to work, although begging still remains widespread in the country.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Iorga |first=Mihai |date=2022-10-28 |title=E din nou plin de cerșetori pe străzi. Poliția Locală: Nu le mai dați bani! |url=https://stiridetimisoara.ro/e-din-nou-plin-de-cersetori-pe-strazi-politia-locala-nu-le-mai-dati-bani_46491.html |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=Stiri de Timisoara |language=ro-RO}}</ref>

US State Department Human Rights reports note a pattern of [Roma](/source/Romani_people) children registered for "vagrancy and begging".<ref>{{cite web | publisher=U.S. Department of State | url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61641.htm | title=Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – 2005 (Romania) | date=2006-03-08 | author = Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor| access-date=2006-09-29 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

===United States===
In parts of [San Francisco, California](/source/San_Francisco%2C_California), [aggressive panhandling](/source/aggressive_panhandling) is prohibited.<ref>[http://www.ktvu.com/news/22805148/detail.html Debate Continues Over Proposed Sit-Lie Ordinance] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202042802/http://www.ktvu.com/news/22805148/detail.html |date=2010-12-02 }}, [KTVU](/source/KTVU), 10 March 2010</ref>

In May 2010, police in the city of [Boston](/source/Boston) started cracking down on panhandling in the streets in downtown, and were conducting an educational outreach to residents advising them not to give to panhandlers. The Boston police distinguished active solicitation, or aggressive panhandling, versus passive panhandling of which an example is opening doors at a store with a cup in hand but saying nothing.<ref>Schuler, Melina, "Cops Planning to Combat Panhandling", ''[The Boston Courant](/source/The_Boston_Courant)'', May 14–20 issue, 2010. "Aggressive solicitation is against the law and is defined as an action that is likely to cause a reasonable person to fear harm or to intimidate him or her into compliance, Ivens said. Passive panhandling, like in front of a convenience store, is constitutionally allowed, however, it is a violation of a Boston ordinance to do it within 10 feet [3&nbsp;m] of an ATM, bank, or check cashing business during hours of operation, [Boston Police Captain Paul] Ivens said."</ref>

U. S. Courts have repeatedly ruled that begging is protected by the [First Amendment's](/source/First_Amendment_of_the_United_States_Constitution) free speech provisions. On August 14, 2013, the U. S. Court of Appeals struck down a [Grand Rapids, Michigan](/source/Grand_Rapids%2C_Michigan), anti-begging law on free speech grounds.<ref>John Agar, "Michigan's begging law violates First Amendment: federal appeals court" [http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2013/08/michigans_begging_law_violates.html mlive.com]</ref> An [Arcata, California](/source/Arcata%2C_California), law banning panhandling within twenty feet of stores was struck down on similar grounds in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Romney|first1=Lee|title=Arcata panhandling law mostly struck down by judge: A Humboldt County judge says provisions of the ordinance banning non-aggressive panhandling within 20 feet of stores, intersections, parking lots and bus stops are unconstitutional.|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2012-sep-27-la-me-arcata-panhandling-20120927-story.html|access-date=26 May 2016|work=Los Angeles Times|date=September 27, 2012}}</ref>

In [Baltimore](/source/Baltimore), [Maryland](/source/Maryland), several non-profits have been working with the "squeegee kids" to get them off the streets instead of the police having to enforce the law and have the teens arrested.<ref>{{cite web |title=Squeegee collaborative working to better the lives of youth squeegee workers |url=https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/squeegee-collaborative-working-to-better-the-lives-of-youth-squeegee-workers |website=www.wmar2news.com |date=27 December 2022 |access-date=28 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=A better way for Baltimore to help its 'squeegee kids' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/08/12/better-way-baltimore-help-its-squeegee-kids/ |newspaper=[Washington Post](/source/Washington_Post) |access-date=28 December 2022|first=DeForest |last=Soaries }}</ref>

== Beggar characteristics ==
According to a 2025 study, begging appears to follow rational economic models. Economist who tracked hundreds of panhandlers at Metrorail stations in Washington, DC. found "consistent with a simple model of profit-maximizing panhandling... that panhandlers solicit more actively when they compete, when they have more human capital, and when passersby are more numerous and responsive to solicitation."<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Leeson |first1=Peter T. |last2=Hardy |first2=R. August |last3=Suarez |first3=Paola A. |date=2025 |title=Beggars as Rational Choosers |journal=Southern Economic Journal |article-number=soej.12792 |language=en |doi=10.1002/soej.12792 |issn=2325-8012|doi-access=free }}</ref>

=== Use of funds ===
thumb|A man on the street of Moscow asks for money for alcoholic drinks.

A 2002 study of 54 panhandlers in [Toronto](/source/Toronto) reported that of a [median](/source/median) monthly income of $638 [Canadian dollar](/source/Canadian_dollar)s (CAD) – those interviewed spent a median of $200 on food and $192 on alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs.<ref>{{cite news | work=Canadian Medical Association Journal |author1=Bose, Rohit |author2=Hwang, Stephen W. |name-list-style=amp | title=Income and spending patterns among panhandlers | date=2002-09-03 | volume=167 |issue=5 |pages=477–479 |pmc = 121964}}</ref> The [Fraser Institute](/source/Fraser_Institute) criticized this study, citing problems with potential exclusion of lucrative forms of begging and the unreliability of reports from the panhandlers who were polled in the study.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.fraserinstitute.ca/canstats/readdetail.asp?id=406 | title=Begging for Data | publisher=Canstats | date=3 September 2002 | access-date=2006-09-29 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060420120833/http://www.fraserinstitute.ca/canstats/readdetail.asp?id=406 | archive-date=20 April 2006 }}</ref>

In [North America](/source/North_America), panhandling money is widely reported to support substance abuse and other addictions. For example, outreach workers in downtown [Winnipeg, Manitoba](/source/Winnipeg%2C_Manitoba), Canada, surveyed that city's panhandling community and determined that approximately three-quarters use some of the donated money to buy tobacco products, while two-thirds buy solvents or alcohol.<ref name=WinnipegBiz>{{cite journal|url=http://www.downtownwinnipegbiz.com/inc/app/winnipegbiz/data/CFTB_factsheet.pdf |journal=Downtown Winnipeg Biz|title='Change for the Better' fact sheet |access-date=2006-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813220022/http://www.downtownwinnipegbiz.com/inc/app/winnipegbiz/data/CFTB_factsheet.pdf |archive-date=2006-08-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Because of concerns that people begging on the street may use the money to support alcohol or drug abuse, some advise those wishing to give to beggars to give gift cards or vouchers for food or services, and not cash.<ref name=WinnipegBiz /><ref>{{cite journal |journal=Oxford City Council Rough Sleeping and Single Homelessness Team |url=https://www.academia.edu/2961622 | title=Evaluation study of the Oxford Begging Initiative | publisher=Oxford City Council | access-date=2013-10-25| last1=Wahlstedt | first1=Eero | date=11 March 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Johnsen & Fitzpatrick|first=S. & S.|title=Revanchist Sanitisation or Coercive Care? The Use of Enforcement to Combat Begging, Street Drinking and Rough Sleeping in England|journal=Urban Studies|year=2010|volume=47|issue=8|pages=1703–1723|doi=10.1177/0042098009356128|bibcode=2010UrbSt..47.1703J |s2cid=154772918}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Hermer |first=J. |date=1999 |title=Policing compassion: 'Diverted Giving' on the Winchester High Street |url=http://focus.library.utoronto.ca/works/4388 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131025070808/http://focus.library.utoronto.ca/works/4388 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 25, 2013 |location=Bristol |publisher=The Policy Press |isbn=978-1861341556 |access-date=2013-10-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.portlandalliance.com/downtown_services/real-change.html | title=Real Change, not Spare Change | publisher=[Portland Business Alliance](/source/Portland_Business_Alliance) | access-date=2006-09-30 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061113185159/http://www.portlandalliance.com/downtown_services/real-change.html| archive-date= 13 November 2006 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Dromi|first=Shai M.|title=Penny for your Thoughts: Beggars and the Exercise of Morality in Daily Life|journal=Sociological Forum|year=2012|volume=27|issue=4|pages=847–871|doi=10.1111/j.1573-7861.2012.01359.x|url=http://osf.io/2fn99/|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Some shelters also offer business cards with information on the shelter's location and services, which can be given in lieu of cash.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gwu.edu/~peace_st/homelessness.html | publisher=George Washington University | author=Peace Studies Program | access-date=2006-09-30 | title=Homelessness Contact Cards | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060909032358/http://www.gwu.edu/~peace_st/homelessness.html| archive-date= 9 September 2006 | url-status= live}}</ref>

=== Forced begging ===
In the situation of forced begging, the beggar does not keep the money they collect, and is instead forced to hand it over to the person who is exploiting them. Forced begging can take several forms.{{Sfn|Delap|2009|p=6}} In some cases, children are abducted from their families by organized criminal groups to be used for begging,<ref name=":0" /> and in other cases, their parents rent them out to be used as beggars,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Knaub |first=Mckenzie |date=2024-01-30 |title=Child Begging in Uganda |url=https://globaljustice.regent.edu/2024/01/child-begging-in-uganda/ |access-date=2026-01-19 |website=Regent University. Center for Global Justice® |language=en-US}}</ref> or their own parents force them to beg.{{Sfn|Delap|2009|p=8}} Well-meaning donors who give money to the beggars are unaware that they are helping perpetuate a cycle of exploitation and that the beggars do not get to use the money they collect.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Keenan |first=Jillian |date=2013-09-30 |title=Keep the Change: Giving money to child beggars is the least generous thing a tourist can do. |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/09/giving-money-to-child-beggars-dont-do-it.html |access-date=2026-01-19 |work=Slate |language=en-US |issn=1091-2339}}</ref>

In 2016, police in India estimated that as many as 300,000 children were victims of forced begging at the hands of human traffickers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nagaraj |first=Anuradha |date=June 1, 2016 |title=Traffickers in India force 300,000 children to beg in streets: police |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/world/traffickers-in-india-force-300000-children-to-beg-in-streets-police-idUSKCN0YN5F7/ |work=Reuters}}</ref> In extreme cases, the children are mutilated to make them appear more sympathetic to passerby and in turn more likely to give them money.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Basher |first=Naziba |date=May 1, 2025 |title=The dark economy of child beggars |url=https://kathmandupost.com/columns/2025/05/01/the-dark-economy-of-child-beggars |access-date=2026-01-19 |website=Kathmandu Post|language=English}}</ref>

Organized crime groups that traffic children for begging sometimes target religious shrines as sites to use their victims as beggars.<ref name=":Azhar">{{Cite news |last=Azhar |first=Mobeen |date=2013-06-01 |title=Child victims of Pakistan's 'begging mafia' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22729351 |access-date=2026-01-19 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> In other cases, teachers at religious schools force students to beg instead of charging them tuition.{{Sfn|Delap|2009|p=7-8}}

While people who are forced to beg fail to bring in as much money as expected to satisfy their trafficker, they can be subject to violence and abuse.{{Sfn|Delap|2009|p=8}} Prosecution of traffickers for forced begging is rare, and can often last years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sandu |first=Ani |date=2019-12-11 |title=Blind Justice for Romania's Trafficked Roma Children |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2019/12/11/blind-justice-for-romanias-trafficked-roma-children/ |access-date=2026-01-19 |website=Balkan Insight |language=en-US}}</ref>

==In fine art==
There are many depictions of beggars in fine art.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arthistoryteachingresources.org/lessons/disability-in-art-history/|title=Disability in Art History &#124; Art History Teaching Resources|website=arthistoryteachingresources.org}}</ref>
<gallery>

File:Ivan Yermenyov. Singing beggars.jpg|''The Singing Beggars'' by Russian painter [Ivan Yermenyov](/source/Ivan_Yermenyov) c.&nbsp;1775
Image:National-Debt-Gillray.jpeg|In a 1786 [James Gillray](/source/James_Gillray) caricature, the plentiful [money bags](/source/money_bags) handed to [King George III](/source/King_George_III) are contrasted with the beggar whose legs and arms were amputated, in the left corner
File:DV271 Portrait of a Blind Begger, Glamorganshire.jpg|''Portrait of a Blind Beggar, [Glamorganshire](/source/Glamorganshire)'', [George Orleans Delamotte](/source/George_Orleans_Delamotte), 1818
File:Tiggarfamilj vid landsvägen.jpg|''Beggar family at the road'', by [Robert Wilhelm Ekman](/source/Robert_Wilhelm_Ekman), 1860
File:Twis-05.jpg|"[The Man with the Twisted Lip](/source/The_Man_with_the_Twisted_Lip)", illustrated by [Sidney Paget](/source/Sidney_Paget) 1891, a beggar playing a major role in a [Sherlock Holmes](/source/Sherlock_Holmes) adventure.
File:OldBeggar1.jpg|[Louis Dewis](/source/Louis_Dewis), "The Old Beggar", [Bordeaux, France](/source/Bordeaux%2C_France), 1916
File:Zofia Stryjeńska, Żebraczka z dzieckiem.jpg|''Beggar with Child'', by [Zofia Stryjeńska](/source/Zofia_Stryje%C5%84ska), 1937
</gallery>

==Notable beggars==
{{more citations needed section|date=July 2025}}
* [Gautama Buddha](/source/Gautama_Buddha), the founder of [Buddhism](/source/Buddhism), accepted alms from people to survive<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/things/begging_bowl.htm |title=Begging Bowl - Buddhist Things |website=ReligionFacts |access-date=2011-12-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111205034356/http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/things/begging_bowl.htm |archive-date=2011-12-05 }}</ref>
* [Bampfylde Moore Carew](/source/Bampfylde_Moore_Carew), the self-styled "King of the Beggars"
*[Qiao Feng](/source/Qiao_Feng), a fictional character in [Jin Yong](/source/Jin_Yong)'s wuxia ''[Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils](/source/Demi-Gods_and_Semi-Devils)''
*[Hong Qigong](/source/Hong_Qigong), a fictional character in Jin Yong's wuxia ''[Legend of the Condor Heroes](/source/Legend_of_the_Condor_Heroes)''
* [So Chan](/source/So_Chan), a Chinese folk hero of Drunken Fist
* [Diogenes of Sinope](/source/Diogenes_of_Sinope), a Greek philosopher
* [Dobri Dobrev](/source/Dobri_Dobrev), a Bulgarian ascetic and philanthropist
* [Gallicina](/source/The_Necessary_Beggar), the mendicant Darotti is accused of murdering in [Susan Palwick](/source/Susan_Palwick)'s novel, ''[The Necessary Beggar](/source/The_Necessary_Beggar)'' (2005)
* [Nicholas Jennings](/source/A_Caveat_or_Warning_for_Common_Cursitors), characterized as a rogue, in [Thomas Harman](/source/Thomas_Harman)'s ''[A Caveat for Common Cursitors](/source/A_Caveat_for_Common_Cursitors)''
* [Lazarus](/source/Lazarus_and_Dives), a Biblical character described in the [Gospel of Luke](/source/Gospel_of_Luke), in the [parable](/source/Parable_of_Jesus) of the rich man and Lazarus (also called the Dives and Lazarus or Lazarus and Dives)
* "[The Man with the Twisted Lip](/source/The_Man_with_the_Twisted_Lip)", the titular character of [Sir Arthur Conan Doyle](/source/Sir_Arthur_Conan_Doyle)'s eponymous [Sherlock Holmes](/source/Sherlock_Holmes) short story
* Gavroche Thenardier, a fictional character in [Victor Hugo](/source/Victor_Hugo)'s novel ''[Les Misérables](/source/Les_Mis%C3%A9rables)''
* [Wu Xun](/source/Wu_Xun), was a Chinese wandering beggar and educational reformer 
* [Zhu Yuanzhang](/source/Hongwu_Emperor), the founder of the Ming Dynasty

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [Begging behavior in animals](/source/Begging_behavior_in_animals)
* [Begging letter](/source/Begging_letter)
* [Belisarius](/source/Belisarius)
* [Busking](/source/Busking)
* [Child Begging](/source/Trafficking_of_children)
* [Fundraising](/source/Fundraising)
* [Garbage picking](/source/Garbage_picking)
* [Mendicant Orders](/source/Mendicant_Orders)
* [Street fundraising](/source/Street_fundraising)
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last=Delap |first=Emily |url=https://www.antislavery.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/beggingforchange09.pdf |title=Begging for Change: Research findings and recommendations on forced child begging in Albania/Greece, India and Senegal |date=2009 |publisher=Anti-Slavery International |editor-last=Turner |editor-first=Catherine}}
* Gilmore, Harlan W. 2018 [1940]. ''[https://uncpress.org/book/9781469644509/the-beggar/ The Beggar]''. University of North Carolina Press.
* Malanga, Steven, [http://city-journal.org/2008/18_3_panhandling.html ''The Professional Panhandling Plague''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080826133416/http://www.city-journal.org/2008/18_3_panhandling.html |date=2008-08-26 }}, ''[City Journal](/source/City_Journal_(New_York))'', vol. 18, no. 3, Summer 2008, The [Manhattan Institute](/source/Manhattan_Institute), New York, NY.
* {{Cite web |last=Narkewicz |first=David J. |date=October 2019 |title=A Downtown Northampton for Everyone: Residents, Visitors, Merchants, and People At-Risk: Mayor's Work Group on Panhandling Study Report |url=http://www.northamptonma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/13414/Mayors-Work-Group-on-Panhandling-Study-Report---October-2019 |format=PDF |location=Northampton, Massachusetts, US |access-date=2019-12-24 |archive-date=2020-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200120095239/http://northamptonma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/13414/Mayors-Work-Group-on-Panhandling-Study-Report---October-2019 |url-status=dead }} A detailed report by a city in Western Massachusetts, US.
* {{cite book|last=Sandage|first=Scott A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XPRbV0JeBecC |title=Born Losers: A History of Failure in America|publisher=Harvard University Press|date=2005}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Begging}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Wiktionary|begging|spanging|panhandling|mendicancy}}
{{Wikivoyage|Begging}}
* [Rooney, Emily](/source/Emily_Rooney), [https://web.archive.org/web/20140811033957/http://www.wgbh.org/programs/The-Emily-Rooney-Show-854/episodes/Tues-6512Panhandling--Public-Nuisance-Or-Basic-Right-39140 "Panhandling—Public Nuisance or Basic Right?"], ''The Emily Rooney Show'', [WGBH-FM](/source/WGBH_(FM)) Radio, Boston, Tuesday, June 5, 2012. Guests: Vincent Flanagan, executive director of Homeless Empowerment Project [Spare Change News](/source/Spare_Change_News); Robert Haas, Cambridge Police Commissioner; Denise Jillson, President of the Harvard Square Business Association
* [http://www.popcenter.org/problems/panhandling/4 Selected legal cases on panhandling] in the United States, University of Albany Center for Problem Oriented Policing.

{{Authority control}}

Category:Begging
Category:Homelessness

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Begging](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begging) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begging?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.