The negative effects of the spread of begging among children in the city of Diwaniyah (Study in social geography)

Abstract

The research aims to study the most important effects of the phenomenon of child begging in the city of Diwaniyah, represented by the social effects, most notably drug abuse by some begging children in the city and thus addiction to it, as well as studying the economic effects represented by inactivity, laziness, and lack of work, as well as the psychological effects represented by marginalization, neglect, and others. Relying on the field study by distributing a questionnaire randomly to some beggars due to the difficulty of counting and selecting a sample for study. The highest percentage of them was in the neighborhoods of (Al-Nahda, Al-Wahda, Al-Saray, Al-Sadiq Al-Awwal, Al-Sina’a, and Al-Furat) and reached respectively (5.1%, 5.1%, 5.1%, 6.8%, 8.1%, 8.6%. As for the lowest rate of begging, it was concentrated in the Al-Zawraa neighborhood (1.7%) Most of the beggars are Roma in the first place, then displaced people in the second place. The research proposed several proposals, the most important of which is activating the role of civil society institutions in material and moral support to take care of this phenomenon, with the need to activate its supervisory role by following up on working children and beggars. And activating the role of social care to support the families of begging children. As well as the role of the media in reducing the spread of the phenomenon of children begging in the city, as it indicates the poor condition of society, which is an unacceptable phenomenon. As well as its role in educating children and youth about the danger of drug abuse and its enormous harm to society and the family.