Tag Archives: Beggars

Montenegro Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est

Montenegro and Begging

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The President of the Montenegro Roma Council, Mensur Šalaj, warned that the problem of child begging is widespread throughout the country. According to the council, there are no systemic measures to fight child begging, and often only the consequences, and not the causes, of this phenomenon are dealt with.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Pologne

Poland and Beggars

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Poznań residents report that people of Roma origin appear on the streets and in shopping centers asking for money. They are often children, sometimes without parents. Some, seeing a few-year-old with a hand outstretched for money, want to act. So they call the police or the city guard. It doesn’t work though.

Polish law clearly states that beggars can be arrested and fined, as begging is forbidden. But it does not solve the poverty issue.

Bosnie Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est

Bosnia: Human Trafficking

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Two people were sentenced recently in Bosnia Hercegovina for human trafficking. They had forced people to beg and steal in Paris by threatening them and their families back home. Apparently, they managed to earn around 1.5 mio EUR between 2012 and 2015.

The threats were recorded, which provided the evidence and they were sentenced to 12 years each.

Nouvelles suisses

Lausanne and Beggars

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The canton of Vaud is debating on the extension  of the begging interdiction that was issued by the city of Lausanne. The city and its police chief are strongly for it while the canton seems to be sceptical. In any case, begging interdictions are inefficient at best. They have been tried in many places without success and are actually aimed at very few people: In Lausanne, a scientific study that followed all beggars in the city for one year showed that there were less than 30 at any given point in time, and that each beggar has on average less than 25 CHF per day which is not much in Switzerland.

Belgique Nouvelles d'Europe de l'ouest

Brussels: Begging or not?

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According to the police, Roma families constitute the bulk of begging with children in the capital. Five years ago, the police identified ten to fifteen active families near the Grand-Place and Rue Neuve. At the beginning of 2022, it counted six times more.

Begging with minors was forbidden, then the law was suspended, and if finally again forbidden, with fines of up to 350 EUR. The discussion whether this interdiction is the right solution are ongoing.

Nouvelles suisses

Begging in Geneva

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The new cantonal law against begging in Geneva does not violate the fundamental rights of beggars. This is the conclusion of the Geneva courts which rejected Me Dina Bazarbachi’s appeal. The latter, sometimes identified as “the lawyer of the Roma”, questioned the validity of the legislation. But the Constitutional Chamber considered that the text was proportionate and responded to a public interest. While the fines could still be issues, the appeal had the effect of suspending the arrests of beggars. It is not the case anymore.

Forbidding begging is not a solution.

Belgique Nouvelles d'Europe de l'ouest

Brussels and Beggars

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The city of Brussels introduced rules for beggars, forbidding people below the age of 26 to beg. This was suspended by the supervisory authority, namely the Brussels Minister in charge of Local Authorities Bernard Clerfayt. The city is now contesting this.

One knows that regulations of begging have very little impact and only fight the symptoms, the real causes.

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Ukraine

Ukraine and Roma

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Another one of those articles on Roma in the Ukraine: This time, in Lutz, the police chased Roma away from a bus station where they were begging, stealing, and fighting.

Not good for anyone.

Nouvelles suisses

Lausanne and Begging

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A recourse has been submitted to the European Court of Human Rights against the interdiction and criminalisation of begging in the canton Vaud and the city of Lausanne.

– Recours déposé à Strasbourg contre l’interdiction vaudoise de la mendicité. In: RTS. 01.02.2019. https://www.rts.ch/info/regions/vaud/10185827-recours-depose-a-strasbourg-contre-l-interdiction-vaudoise-de-la-mendicite.html
– Vaud: recours à Strasbourg contre l’interdiction de mendier. In: Radio Lac. 01.02.2019. https://www.radiolac.ch/actualite/vaud-recours-a-starsbourg-contre-linterdiction-de-mendier/

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'ouest Suède

Begging Ban

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A top Swedish court has given the green light to a controversial begging ban in the town of Vellinge. The original ban had been lifted by court order, but the highest administrative court has re-instated it.
Begging bans are known to be ineffective in most places they were introduced.

– Mixed Reactions as Swedish Court Green-Lights ‘Anti-Gypsy’ Begging Ban. In: Sputnik News. 19.12.2018. https://sputniknews.com/europe/201812191070825722-sweden-begging-ban/

Mixed Reactions as Swedish Court Green-Lights 'Anti-Gypsy' Begging Ban

Nouvelles suisses

Begging in Lausanne

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Two more articles on beggars in Lausanne. In one, the journalist explains why she prefers not to have beggars, and in the other, they wonder whre they all went.
I any case, such begging interdictions are a bad idea.
– La mendicité ou l’épine dans le pied. In: Le Temps. 06.11.2018. https://www.letemps.ch/opinions/mendicite-lepine-pied
– Mais ou sont passes le mendicants. In: 24 Heures. https://www.24heures.ch/vaud-regions/Mais-ou-sont-passes-les-mendiants-Roms/story/23456490

ERREUR 404

Nouvelles suisses

Begging in Lausanne

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Following the definitive interdiction of begging in the Swiss city of Lausanne, a plethora of articles on the subject: Roma now asking for work rather than for money, how to enforce the interdiction, etc…
The experience of Geneva shows those interdictions are totally useless.

– Après les pieces, les roms mendient du travail. In: 24 heures. 04.11.2018. https://www.24heures.ch/vaud-regions/pieces-roms-mendient-travail/story/25645234
– MENDICITÉ: LES ROMS MÈNENT UNE ACTION DE SENSIBILISATION. In: Le Matin. 01.11.2018. https://www.lematin.ch/news/Mendicite-les-Roms-menent-une-action-de-sensibilisation/story/31011864
– Traquer les mendiants: une mission comme une autre. In: 20 Minutes 9CH). 01.11.2018. https://www.20min.ch/ro/news/vaud/story/Premier-jour-d-interdiction-de-mendier-dans-le-canton-17043514
– “Il ne suffit pas d’interdire la mendicité pour que le phénomène disparaisse”. In: RTS Info. 01.11.2018. https://www.rts.ch/info/suisse/9961937–il-ne-suffit-pas-d-interdire-la-mendicite-pour-que-le-phenomene-disparaisse-.html
– MENDICITÉ SORIN, LE DERNIER MENDIANT DE LAUSANNE VOUS SALUE… In: Le Matin. 31.10.2018. https://www.lematin.ch/suisse/Sorin-le-dernier-mendiant-de-Lausanne-vous-salue/story/19432540

Nouvelles suisses

Forbidding Begging

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Geneva forbade begging 10 years ago. The result is bad: None of the fines cashed in, much more expenses, and there are still beggars.
It shows that the money would be better used in helping those people.

– Milliers d’amendes et taux d’encaissement de 0%. In: 20 Minutes (CH). 27.10.2018. https://www.20min.ch/ro/news/geneve/story/Des-milliers-d-amendes-par-an-pour-mendicite-12461136
– En diz ans, la loi antimendicité n’a rien rapport à Genève. In; 24 Heures. https://www.24heures.ch/suisse/suisse-romande/En-dix-ans-la-loi-antimendicite-n-a-rien-rapporte-a-Geneve/story/23953453

Milliers d'amendes et taux d'encaissement de 0

Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Ukraine

Ukraine – C14 Again

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The ultra-nationalist movement C14 did it again: This time they “cleaned” the Kiev main railway station of Roma.
Bad.
But what is worse, is that effectively most people will applaud, as the Roma in the railway station were camping there, begging and were often accused of stealing.

– Народная инициатива: Киевский железнодорожный вокзал «зачистили» от ромов. In: Info Resist. 23.10.2018. https://inforesist.org/narodnaya-initsiativa-kievskiy-zheleznodorozhnyiy-vokzal-zachistili-ot-romov/

Народная инициатива: Киевский железнодорожный вокзал «зачистили» от ромов | ВИДЕО

Nouvelles suisses

Begging in Lausanne

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The Swiss Federal Tribunal judged that the law enacted in the canton of Lausanne against begging is conform to the European Human Right Convention and can thus enter in vigour.
It may be conform, but it is still a bad law…

– Le Tribunal fédéral confirme l’interdiction de la mendicité dans le canton de Vaud. In: Le Temps. 04.10.2018. https://www.letemps.ch/suisse/tribunal-federal-confirme-linterdiction-mendicite-canton-vaud
– Interdiction de la mendicité confirmée. In: LFM. 04.10.2018. https://www.lfm.ch/actualite/vaud/interdiction-de-la-mendicite-confirmee/
– La loi sur la mendicité sera finalement appliquée dans le canton de Vaud. In: RTS. 04.10.2018. https://www.rts.ch/info/regions/vaud/9892761-la-loi-sur-la-mendicite-sera-finalement-appliquee-dans-le-canton-de-vaud.html

ERREUR 404

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