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| Dra. Juli Astutik, M. Si, a lecturer in UMM's Social Welfare Study Program. (Photo: Ghalib Humas) |
Homeless and beggar is a group of people who engage in a continuous activity of begging for money in public areas. People who encounter this group of people will usually pity them and give them money. At first glance, nothing is wrong with this, but what is the long-term effect on the social structure that will be formed in society?
Regarding this phenomenon, a lecturer from the Social Welfare Science University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), Dra. Juli Astutik, M.Si, gives her explanation. According to her, a beggar is one of the social ailments in the structure of society. Their existence can disturb public peace and potentially lead to crime.
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"In the perspective of social work experts, beggars are Penyandang Masalah Kesejahteraan Sosial (PMKS) (trans: Social Welfare Problems) acute and are derived from the problem of poverty, namely cultural poverty. Where this poverty is caused by mentality or culture," she explained.
Furthermore, Yuli, her nickname, elaborated that aside from the lack of access to compulsory education, one of the causes of poverty comes from the mentality and attitude of life—for example, laziness, work, extravagance, and begging. Therefore, beggars experience social dysfunction.
On the other hand, when looking at government and regional regulations governing beggars, many gaps should be explored more deeply. This includes the level of effectiveness of the rules to solve the main problem. For example, although many cities have banned giving money to beggars, the implementation still needs to be improved.
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"Giving to beggars is actually the same as letting them (beggars) fall into laziness and poverty continuously without any desire to become an independent and productive people," said Yuli.
However, Juli added, if we look at it from a religious perspective, giving to people who cannot afford it is one of the acts of worship called sadaqah. Therefore, there needs to be a shared awareness by all levels of society, from the government to the community, to focus on cutting the source of the problem. Namely, the "dependency" and "mentality" of beggars to always beg and not seek other livelihoods.
"The government should specifically review regulations that focus on the beggars themselves. Instead of imposing material fines on money givers. The government must also create a system of empowering beggars by providing a wide platform, for the development of skills and expertise that can produce," Juli concluded. (put/lib/wil)
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