Dignity for all

What this woman and countless others like her in the city are begging of you is money.  

İstanbul is a metropolis that really turns everything up a few notches and unfortunately begging, with compelling emotional appeals at hand, is one of them. Approximately 10,000 people in this city every day setting out with their signs and other props looking to deposit themselves in a lucrative spot in the city, hoping to tug at the heartstrings of passersby. And this number is merely the official count.

In the year 2011 alone, the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality arrested a total of 5,128 beggars, pursuing legal action against them. Research tells us that 99 percent of these beggars were not actually in need and that they saw begging as an “easier way of getting by.” For beggars seeking donations around mosques and other places of religious importance, during religious holidays or presenting an exceptionally strong case, they may make up to TL 150-200 a day.

What is most unfortunate is not the sheer number of beggars the city has, but that so many people (those who are seemingly mentally and physically capable of working) chose to leave themselves to the mercy and often varying levels of arrogance of others. These people either feel like becoming a productive member of society is either something they are not capable of or “not worth it,” both of which are equally saddening. Sociologist Robert Merton explains that those who have not been able to achieve cultural goals such as welfare and material comfort using legitimate means in a given society will resort to other methods. This inability, in the case of beggars, is often triggered by a lack of skills, feelings of unworthiness or social isolation. The fact that 98 percent of those caught begging in the city of İstanbul were found to be from other cities and provinces is quite telling to this end.

The act of begging cannot be easy: To be the recipient of belittling gazes or unsolicited, callous advice alone aren't activities one would want to sign up for. Having people look down on you because they either hold the ability to or are actually giving you money cannot be an enjoyable experience, even for the most seasoned of beggars.

A boy who used to always be on my route as I walked past him on my way to work daily would ask for money. He would also try to talk to me. I never responded. One day he said: “You know, you could at least acknowledge my greeting. I am a human being.” A human being -- yes, that is what he is -- a human being. You will often notice the way in which people drop money before beggars, frequently avoiding eye contact, scurrying away and not responding to their expressions of gratitude.

While the onus is on the government to provide social security for those who are in need for whichever socio-economic reasons, we, by acknowledging the human being before us -- either through eye contact or conversation -- who is engaged in beggary, might perhaps be giving them something that far exceeds a little bit of pocket change. We might play a role in helping them realize their inherent dignity and we can do this whether we chose to give them money, food or nothing at all.

After all, do we condone the way that everyone we come across in life earns their keep and then base our interactions on this judgement?