Iraq: Baghdad to sweep beggars off its streets

[sabra]

Source: Monday Morning, Lebanon

The plan aims to remove the big proliferation of beggars, many of them children, in the Iraqi capital in the wake of the 2003 US-led invasion that sparked job losses among many of the city’s seven million residents.
“We aim to put an end to this phenomenon that has spread in the past years”, Iraqi Labor and Social Affairs Ministry spokesman Abdallah al-Lami said in a statement.

“Some have turned begging into a profession, as a way of making easy money and exploiting the children and the disabled”.
Anyone caught begging would be detained by police and dealt with according to his needs, Lami said.
“The old will be sent to old-age homes, while those who don’t have parents will be sent to the orphanages, and juvenile delinquents will go to correction facilities.

“Those who have parents will be locked up for some time and either they or their parents will have to sign a pledge promising not to allow their children onto the streets for begging”, he said.
However, police refused to take media groups on a sweep of the city last Monday amid concerns that fighting between beggars and police might break out.

“Since it will be carried out by the police and army units and there could be resistance from the beggars, they might have to resort to force”, a Labor Ministry official said.

Read more: http://www.mmorning.com/ArticleC.asp?Article=6506&CategoryID=6

[louis-t]

1. Unbelievable! bush kills off parents and caregivers of elderly

and causes millions to lose their jobs, then the leaders they were force-fed sweep 'beggars' off the streets. Yeah, "they hate us for our freedoms". Heckuva job.

[awoke_in_2003]

2. It is good to see...

that Iraq now has freedom. I mean, look, they treat their poor and jobless as good as we do :sarcasm:

[Politicalboi]

3. MMmmmmmm

Can't ya smell the freedom in Iraq. :sarcasm: These poor people. If we here in the US think it's bad here, try living in Iraq for a few months. I would just love to see Bush/Cheney tried in an Iraqi court.

[bemildred]

4. Thank goodness Saddam is gone.

:sarcasm:

[Blaze Diem]

5. "Mission Accomplished"

Bush Legacy would make a sociopath proud.

[Winterblues]

6. In the words of Rumsfeld "Democracy is messy"

:shrug: The entire world should be ashamed the Iraq Invasion and Occupation was allowed to occur.

[zelta gaisma]

7. well Bush F8ed everything up and it looks like...

Iraq is trying to clean up Bush's mess. I *really* hope this quote is true "Anyone caught begging would be detained by police and dealt with according to his needs, " and mercy guides their actions.

I realize am most likely doing a bit of wishful thinking and overly optimistic thinking the best of the Iraqi gov. here but...<huge sigh>

[Jefferson23]

8. The disaster that lives on and on..way to go Bush.

[undeterred]

9. Is there a street sweeper for homeless people?

[DallasNE]

10. Wishing Them Away

Will not remove the problem. It will indeed be an ongoing problem with Sunni children and in Sadr City. This decision will be modified. Locking up political opponents and calling them beggars or some other name is as old as history itself. So much for this democracy Bush is leaving as his legacy.