Factors behind Begging and Search for Alternatives: A Study on Female Street Beggars in Chittagong City

Abstract

The study aims at knowing the feelings of female street beggars concerning begging, identifying the causes of begging and getting ideas from them to get rid of begging. It was an exploratory study in nature based on opinion survey of the female street beggars. Chittagong City area was purposively selected for this study. A semi-structured questionnaire was designed to interview the beggars. A total of 62 female street beggars were randomly interviewed from July to October 2014. The study revealed that about 87% beggars interviewed feel ashamed of begging and saw begging as an immoral conduct. The factors that induced them in begging are: polygamy, dishonest husband, looking after children, family disintegration, illiteracy, illness, lack of jobs, poor salary for works, natural disaster and survival. Some of them (13%) considered begging as a profession like other works. Most of them (92%) desired to get rid of begging having suitable alternatives. The alternative activities they mentioned include job, training, family integration, Government shelter, social/community support, money and business. Getting support fund, they desired to start scarp business, fisheries, poultry farms, cloth business, vegetable business and selling pithapuli (local pizza) in the winter seasons and so on. The study generated thought provoking ideas for Government bodies, civil societies, donor agencies and social science researchers to move forward for the eradication of extreme poverty and street begging from a developing country like Bangladesh.