Following the profiling of beggars in Suva City, the Inter-Agency Taskforce on Beggars spearheaded by the Ministry of Social Welfare is now planning to carry out profiling exercise in the other towns and cities around the country.
Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation permanent secretary Dr Josefa Koroivueta said through this exercise, the Taskforce would be able to identify the root causes of begging and determine the type of assistance the individual beggars need.
“The profiling is a component of the new approach towards solving beggar issues in towns and cities in Fiji. It provides a complete understanding on what is driving the person towards street begging. Profiling has to be done in other parts of Fiji for these reasons so that we can intervene to address the real issues of begging,” Dr Koroivueta said.
“Central to street begging is the determinants to address their needs holistically. The Taskforce is working towards making Suva and rest of the town and cities in Fiji a much safer place and portray a better image.”
He said that research by the Ministry has shown that some beggars own properties and change into rags before begging to gain public sympathy.
“The beggars that exploit children for begging have been taken off the streets as we have zero tolerance for child exploitation. Beggars that had properties and are landlords have also been evicted under law from the streets. Majority of them are mentally challenged and are homeless,” Dr Koroivueta said.
“From the total of 40 beggars profiled in Suva, three of them have been accommodated at St Vincent House, and few to HART homes. Progress is underway on placing them for longer term in institution to provide for care and support. This will empower them for income generating skills, better livelihoods and self-reliance,” he explained.
The Inter-Agency Taskforce was formed in June this year by the Ministry of Social Welfare and Fiji Police along with other relevant government and non-governmental organisations.
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