Begging

Beggars are people who are wholly or partly of alms their livelihood - charitable gifts of others - deny. Most often, begging for money.

Causes

The causes of begging are diverse, especially in economically underdeveloped countries, beggars are common. Unemployment, disability, age, or the denial of social assistance are considered ( more ) reasons.

Life as a beggar can be arbitrarily chosen and sometimes has its own dignity, especially in the mendicant orders or hermits.

History

In earlier centuries, when there was no social security, the number of beggars in many European cities grew rapidly. The church and private welfare institutions took care of her. But in the Middle Ages, the authorities had felt the rapid growth as a threat to their rule: They began to be suppressed by police arrangement the " unauthorized begging " but realized the other hand, certain groups of people, such as helpless and frail people, by the issuance of official begging letters a right to publicly ask for charitable gifts. As the oldest beggars order in German-speaking applies the Nuremberg from the year 1478.

In addition, should in particular the Recess of 1512, of the peace of 1551 and the National Police order to counteract the begging of 1577. 1520 adopted, for example, the Zurich City Council on previous recommendation of Ulrich Zwingli own regulation, which dealt with the care of vulnerable persons. The express purpose of this provision was to prevent the public begging and keep foreign city beggars from the city. Two nurses were chosen, who were responsible for the means test and the distribution of funds provided by the Council or by Donors available. To bring the poor " from the alley ", was a regular feeding the poor. Access this was dependent on the needy each had previously pleaded not public: The " Regulation and Article encountering the almuosen " regulate " the hinfür all begging in the city of Zurich, it sye of domestic or frömbden people, parked sin kettle holes. " If one still begging, should " in the almuosen eight days be cut off. "

Numerous national police regulations should contain in the German territories begging, especially after the Thirty Years' War. The English law punished in the 16th century beggars and vagrants even by whippings and brandings. Since 17-18. Century a part of the beggar was also housed in workhouses, to remove them from the public and use their labor power. Education in a factory discipline moved in the course of industrialization, starting from the British workhouses, increasingly to the fore. To begging beings for the end of the 19th century, in particular for use of children for begging writes Meyers Encyclopedia of 1888:

After the seizure of power by the National Socialists, the Prussian Ministry of the Interior issued an order on June 1, 1933 a regulation for the suppression of public begging beings. Poverty and vulnerability were criminalized more and more.

With the abolition of § 361 Paragraph 1 No. 4 of the Criminal Code with effect from 2 April 1974 begging in the Federal Republic of Germany is basically no longer punishable.

From a religious perspective, support, feeding and accommodation of the poor and sick is a work of mercy. It is kind ( food, warm quarters ) to be preferred, from the conditions mentioned above.

Research into the genealogy of the beggar is a difficult area of ​​expertise, which can often be based on extensive court and police records, etc. characteristics.

Special

Fire begging

The still common use of the term urgent letter as an on and call for quick assistance goes back to the fire as a begging letter became known document. This Brand begging letter was a letter from authorities, the so-called spent, so people had lost their belongings and house by fire, was for the purpose of begging, which was locally strictly forbidden in part, issued. Since some abuse that went with it, the Brandbettelei was abolished with the introduction of fire insurance.

Profession in India

Until the 1980s beggar was conducted in the official Indian statistics as a recognized profession. There are, as in other poor countries, " begging mafias ". These are secret underground organizations, purchase or kidnap children and force them to beg.

Germany

Begging is generally allowed in Germany, but false pretense ratios ( for example, " 'm homeless ", " purse stolen " ) can be a bed same deceit and intrusive begging is punishable in Germany as a misdemeanor. Beggars are homeless in part.

Begging is generally tax- free in Germany, ie income therefrom are not subject to income tax. If, however, " gewerbsmäßiges begging ", these can optionally be construed as business income under § 15 Income Tax Act, and this will be practically barely detectable.

In the media there have been reports in the past about from Berlin, Cologne and Munich that " organized " in there, often referred to as a " beggar mafia" groups of immigrants from Eastern Europe begging and were exploited by the " beggar mafia."

Especially child begging is highly controversial, starting from a ban on child labor. It is problematic, especially when children by the regular school attendance is withheld.

Austria

In Austria, as in Germany, similar rules apply. However, for income over € 624.18 income tax must be paid. Begging with kids is strictly prohibited in June 2005, since the introduction of a corresponding law and is punishable by imprisonment or social work required. In Vienna, begging prohibition on aggressive, organized begging, begging there, taking with underage minors and since June 2010, also commercial begging, § 2 Vienna State Security Law. ; Other states have adopted specific finable rules against begging, for example, the province of Salzburg.

Discussion on begging prohibitions in German-speaking

It is discussed both in Austria and in Germany again and again partially or general begging bans. Proponents argue that the basic security by the state is already guaranteed by law and begging was not necessary to secure a livelihood. A broad argument for begging bans is that children in particular are affected by begging in their socialization. Some also argue that beggars should be protected from exploitation by mafia-like structures by the begging bans.

The first argument can not be invoked for people therefore that ( as Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, etc.) in Germany have in their countries of origin not get a living wage job or government assistance and are not entitled to social security benefits. Critics of lean beggar begging prohibitions prohibitions with reference to fundamental rights ( right to freedom of living, right to work ) and the lack of livelihood and other missing income opportunities, drive people to beg from.

Others

There are a cello from the luthier U.K. Guadagnini named " Il mendicante " ( The beggar ). It is a beggar in Paris have heard in the 19th century, in spite of his poverty did not sell it because of its incomparable sound. This cello is now one of the cellist Thomas Beckmann.