The Business of Begging (From Bali With Love)

Anyone who has ever been to Indonesia has experienced beggars. They are everywhere. They come to your car window or stand outside of restaurants while you are eating to ask for money. It is actually very sad to see women standing on the side of the road with a baby in their arms and two other small children by their side. Beggars are on the streets day and night.

The reality of this, however, is 90% of them are fake. They beg for a living, as an occupation. When I just holidayed here, I never thought anything other than the fact that they needed help or food. Now that I live here, I know different. There are many "coordinators" here in Indonesia fill a bus or van up with people and drop them off at various locations to beg for money. At the end of the day, he picks them all up again and collects a percentage of the money they received.

I'm sure this comes as a shock to many of you. It did to me as well when I first learned about it.

The article I found states that the business of begging is quite lucrative. It is estimated that the average beggar makes between Rp. 30,000 and 280,000 per day. Let's say, at the lowest average of Rp. 30,000 per day, working 5 days a week, they would make Rp. 600,000 per month. At the highest average of Rp. 280,000 per day, working 5 days a week, they would make Rp. 5,600,000 per month. Now, in comparison, the average income in Indonesia is about Rp. 1,000,000 per month.

It's all really amazing to me. Indonesia has no set law for loitering that I'm aware of, but I know the Governor, here in Bali, has been trying to combat this problem.

To read the full article, go HERE.