Socioeconomic Condition of Street Beggars: A Study on Chattogram City

Abstract

Begging on the street, a common sight in the major cities and towns of Bangladesh, has become a severe social problem nowadays. Chattogram City Corporation, our country’s largest port city, is not an exception to that where begging has turned itself into a major urban social problem. This study reveals the socio-demographic profile of the street beggars of Chattogram City and the determinants of their income and expenditure. The investigation is done through a questionnaire survey of 460 street beggars in five selected locations within the city using a multistage sampling technique. The data is analyzed by descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and multiple regression models. Most of the street beggars under the questionnaire survey are middle-aged, with an average age of 55 years. Meanwhile, their average household monthly per capita income is around BDT 7,226, and approximately all these incomes are consumed, as the average monthly per capita consumption expenditure is around BDT 7,164. As a result, 84 percent of beggars are without any savings. Results of the ANOVA show that income also significantly differed between street beggars with different ages. Results of the regression analysis reveal that age and begging location have significant effects on income, but income and age are the most significant predictors for expenditure. Moreover, the beggars working in commercial areas like Agrabad have moderate earnings compared to other places inside the city. But the beggars staying at Agrabad are also spending more money for the higher cost of living over there. From these findings, the study concludes that from street beggars’ perspective, there is a need for social protection programs with targeting strategies to lessen misery and mitigate against their poverty. This study recommends implementing and enforcing comprehensive anti-begging laws, alongside rehabilitation programs such as weaving and carpentry training for the beggars. The result of these interventions would bring about sustainable economic development of street beggars, and it is expected that in the long term they would become less dependent on begging.