Current Attempts At Eradicating Begging From Public Places In Ethiopia: The Case Of Arada Ghiorghis Neighborhood
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Date
2010-07
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Publisher
AAU
Abstract
Begging is not a recent phenomenon in Ethiopia. The problem has been present in the country
for more than a century. Despair and agony which are commonly associated with begging have
been the constant companions of beggars in Ethiopia in general and its capital in particular. More
specifically, the large number of beggars we see on the streets of Addis Ababa and the various
places of worship in the city can be regarded as one of the most telling examples for describing
the central characteristics of begging and what could be associated with it when it is seen in
terms of its harshest manifestations.
This study was conducted with the aim of aiding the effectiveness of current proposed and
implemented attempts at eradicating begging from Ethiopia. By selecting the Arada Ghiorghis
neighborhood as its area of particular reference, the study has tried to assess the attempts as well
as the beggar and non-beggar attitudes towards them. The data needed for the study were
collected from forty beggar and the same number of non-beggar respondents mainly using the
cross-sectional survey design. However, when analyzed the data gathered using the survey
method were triangulated with data obtained from in-depth interviews with beggars and
responsible individuals in both governmental and non-governmental organizations, a Focus
Group Discussion among beggars, information from the researcher's personal observation of the
situations of beggars in the study area as well as secondary data from various sources.
Accordingly, the findings of the study indicate that current implemented attempts to eradicate
begging from Ethiopia, although they should be accorded recognition for .their concern for the
improvement of the lives of beggars in the country, are characterized by a number of weaknesses
ranging from inadequate effort and little willingness to work cooperatively with other parties
working in the area of begging up to the employment of unsustainable (ineffective) strategies.
However, the Social Development Fund of Ethiopia, which was analyzed by the study as a
current proposed attempt to eradicate begging from the country, was found to be by far well
designed and very likely to be more effective if it is made to include some of the
recommendations suggested on the basis of responses from respondents of the study.
Furthermore, findings from the inquires on the attitudes of both beggar and non-beggar members
of the public in the study area towards attempts at eradicating begging from Ethiopia show that
most of the respondents from both groups have positive attitudes towards the attempts.