News 24 | Including begging on social networks. Ministers approve the anti-begging system and these sanctions

The Council of Ministers approved the anti-begging system, revised the sanctions for professional beggars, confirming its ban in all its forms and forms in the Kingdom, provided that the Home Office is responsible for arresting beggars and to refer them to the competent authority to investigate system violations.

The system defines a profession of begging as any person arrested for the second or more times practicing begging, emphasizing that the beggar is one who begs to obtain the money of others without return or for an involuntary consideration in itself, in cash or in kind, directly or indirectly, in public places, private businesses, or In modern technologies and communications, or by any means.

The anti-begging system has entrusted the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development with the responsibility of coordinating with the competent authorities the fight against begging, and it should study the social, health, psychological and economic situation of Saudi beggars, and provide them with social, health, psychological and economic services information according to the needs of each case, in accordance with the relevant regulations and decisions.

Its mission is also to help Saudi beggars to benefit from the services provided by government, private and charitable agencies, to follow up through monitoring and to create a database for beggars in partnership with the Ministry of the Interior.

He added that whoever engages in begging, incites others, agrees with him or helps him to practice begging, will be punished with imprisonment not exceeding 6 months, or a fine not not exceeding 50,000 rials, or both.

Whoever engages in begging, directs beggars, incites others, accepts it or assists it in any way within an organized group practicing begging, will be punished with imprisonment not exceeding one year, or a fine not exceeding 100,000 riyals, or both.

He explained that all non-citizens who have been punished except for the citizen’s wife or a citizen’s husband or children will be expelled from the Kingdom, and they are prohibited from returning to the Kingdom except for perform Hajj or Umrah, and the penalty can be doubled in the event of a repeat offense, without exceeding double the maximum limit set for it.

He pointed out that the anti-begging system stipulated the confiscation of all funds in cash and in kind obtained by the beggar from his beggar, or that would be used by him, noting that if it was not possible to seize the beggar. one of these funds, the competent court imposed a fine equivalent to its value.