AMMAN — Some users of social media platforms,
including the TikTok application, resorted to a novel way of begging, thinking
that controlling them while using the applications is less rigorous, or
possible, than in the streets.
اضافة اعلان
The growing phenomenon pushed social and legal
experts to ask for tighter control of those practicing this form of begging,
especially since their posts contain unauthorized exploitation of children, who
are used in the practice.
“We are witnessing a vast increase in electronic
begging, and the reason for that could be that it escapes the government’s
monitoring and laws,” said Hussein Mahadeen, professor of sociology and crime
at Yarmouk University.
He told
Jordan News that “addiction to social
media, and the accelerated lifestyle we live in now made it easier for this
phenomenon to spread”.
“Users, who have no control over the content they
receive, may consider donating (to those asking help from them), thinking it is
the right thing to do, and an easy way to help those in need,” he said.
Mahadeen added that nowadays, online and street
begging “are a way to earn easy money, and it seldom has anything to do with
material needs, or economic conditions of the individuals involved in the
practice”.
“Undoubtedly, a law is required to control such
actions, and prevent the begging from spreading further,” he pointed out.
Ministry of Social Development spokesperson Ashraf
Khrais told
Jordan News that the amendments to the bylaw governing
charitable organizations’ fundraising activities “are now being discussed at
the Legislation and Opinion Bureau”.
“It will regulate the work of charities in Jordan,
as well as amend regulations concerning online charity,” he pointed out.
The new draft addresses electronic begging, its
mechanisms, and ways to confront it, said Khrais, who noted that the current
mechanism for collecting donations by charities, and articles of the Penal Code
“are devoid of any provisions that address the phenomenon of electronic
begging”.
He said the draft singled out one clause governing
electronic donations, which stipulates that a license is required to collect
donations through electronic means. It also calls for the person applying for
the license to have an approved website, that the nature of the donations
mentioned in the electronic application must be specified by the applicant, and
that the bank account associated with the electronic payment be determined by
the licensed applicant.
Lawyer Suleiman Al-Mubaideen told
Jordan News that the amendments will ensure that children are not involved in those
actions.
“The law is the basis of a moral society; without a
law, violations cannot be controlled,” he stressed.
“Protecting children from being abused is the
government’s responsibility, and issuing a law is the first and right step
towards a solution to this phenomenon,” he said.
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