Do people have the right to beg?

According to child psychologists (not all of them, mind you) begging is one of the very first actions we learn as infants. A few pediatric clinicians even maintain that begging is as instinctive to a baby as automatically seeking its mother’s succulent milk. Other authorities on human behavior also hold that there is nothing abnormal (hate that word, including its positive form psychotic, is better) about begging.
All this affirmation of the ‘normality’ (here I go again!) of begging though, does not ring true… We all know too well that seeking the pity of other humans for basic survival needs is one of the most humiliating acts anybody can stoop to. Amharic has a lovely phrase for it - “Yesew Fit Yifajal”, a person’s, the one being solicited for alms or other handouts, face scorches.
So in effect, what the psychologists classify as ordinary human behavior is a social no-no, so much so the action is pronounced illegal in some states. However, the decision to abolish begging or not has its roots in discussions on civil rights, legality and morality.
On the legal side of things, some argue that banning begging violates one’s right to free speech. Proponents of this view claim that a beggar soliciting money for himself is little different from someone soliciting money on behalf of a charitable organization: “the beggar just saves on administrative expenses”. Some even go on to claim that mendicants implicitly convey a “broader social message” that social and economic conditions and opportunities and governmental services are such that many people are unable to support themselves. They further note that a peaceful beggar poses no threat to society. The beggar has arguably only committed the offense of being needy. The message beggars send society can be disturbing. If some portion of society is offended, the answer is not in criminalizing these people ... but addressing the root cause of their existence. The root cause is not served by removing them from sight.
Others maintain that society has to properly recognize that the poor, minorities, and outcasts deserve the same constitutional protections enjoyed by middle-class citizens. However, they argue that citizens also deserve to be protected from the dangers posed by public disorder. Therefore, they claim that abolishing begging is more of an introduction of a rule of conduct than a ban on a group of people. Accordingly, the poor, the homeless, and the disheveled are perfectly free to use public spaces just like anyone else. What they are saying is that the law simply imposed a rule of conduct: no begging.
Apart from these views, there are religious values that dictate the right of people to beg. Most of the world’s major religions preach of the sin cleansing powers of giving alms, in effect backing the right of people to receive them and ensuring the continued existence of the institution of begging. That can be attested by the presence of large numbers of mendicants around places of worship.

Do you think that the right to work
also includes the right to beg for a living?

I think anyone has the right to beg as long as they do not do it in an abusive or forceful way. It should be someone’s right to decide that they want to leave their lives to the mercy of others. Though that might not be what’s favored by most of society, the individual’s right to make money without violating their fellow humans’ rights should be upheld.
Tamiru, college student
Most of us consider begging as a disgrace to society, especially when the one being begged is a foreigner. I think that is just us looking at the situation from our position with no consideration to the deprivation of the needs of the mendicants. In the developed states, let alone a country as poor as ours, begging supports the lives of considerable number of people. I say that begging is a mechanism of ensuring the survival of the unprivileged people failed by the social system.
Afework, painter
Ensuring more production should be the main goal of nations like Ethiopia, since that is the most viable way of shortening our misery. Therefore, begging should be discouraged and even banned as we don’t need anyone not involved in the production process. Anyone with a responsibility to contribute to the development of the country should not have the right to beg.
Tibebu, Bar owner
I always thought that only the most desperate of people begged but I have come to realize that those who have a reasonable income to support their families are also involved in it. Lots of people immigrate to Addis, leaving their families and land, just to beg and make better money. That is a very big move on the wrong direction. Therefore, it should be checked before it gets worse.
Sileshi, artist