beggar

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beggar in Munich

Beggars are people who make a living, in whole or in part, from alms - the kind gifts of others. Most people beg for money .

causes

The causes of begging are diverse, especially in economically underdeveloped countries beggars are widespread. Unemployment , disability , old age or the refusal of social assistance are other reasons.

Life as a beggar can also be chosen by oneself and sometimes even has its own dignity, especially with mendicant orders or hermits .

German-speaking countries

Beggar in Tehran around 1880
The money fool. Woodcut by Jost Amman , 1568

history

Begging was a much more common phenomenon in the premodern than in today's modern societies. Before the dawn of modernity in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it was probably a majority of children between the ages of 6 and 16 who begged.

As early as the Middle Ages, the authorities felt the rapid growth of begging as a threat to their rule: Police regulations began to suppress "unjustified begging", but on the other hand, certain groups of people, such as helpless and frail people, recognized a right by issuing official begging letters to publicly ask for charitable gifts. The oldest beggar ordinance in the German-speaking area is that of Nuremberg from 1478. In Würzburg , a beggar ordinance was issued in 1490, according to which begging was only allowed in the case of need, a pious lifestyle and with the approval of the Upper Council and with a begging badge. The imperial decree of 1512, the country peace of 1551 and the imperial police order of 1577 were intended to counteract begging. 1520 issued z. For example, on the previous recommendation of Ulrich Zwingli , the Zurich City Council issued its own ordinance that dealt with the care of people in need. The express aim of this regulation was to prevent public begging and to keep beggars from outside the city away from the city. Two carers were elected who were responsible for the means test and the distribution of the funds made available by the council or donors. To bring the poor "from the alley," was made a regular feeding the poor . Access to this was dependent on the needy person not having begged publicly beforehand: The “order and articles relating to the almuose” regulate “that for all begging in the city of Zurich, whether it be from local or devout people, is turned off. "If someone begs anyway," the almuosen should be refused for 8 days. "

Numerous other state police ordinances were intended to curb begging in the German territories , especially after the Thirty Years' War . English law in the 16th century even punished beggars and vagrants with flogging and branding. Since the 17th / 18th century , some of the beggars were also housed in workhouses in order to remove them from the public and to use their labor. In the course of industrialization , starting with the British workhouses, training in a factory discipline came more and more to the fore. Meyer's encyclopedia of 1888 writes about begging for the end of the 19th century, in particular the use of children for begging :

At the very least, the abuse of children for the purpose of begging should be tolerated. The German Criminal Code punishes begging as a police violation with imprisonment (Section 361), habitual beggars and those who begged under threats or with weapons can be locked up in a workhouse for up to 2 years after they have served their imprisonment (Section 362). Those who start begging themselves are equal to those who instruct or send children out or who fail to prevent those who are under their supervision and who belong to their household from begging. Begging under the pretense of physical infirmity or alleging false facts is punished as fraud by the courts.

After the National Socialists came to power , the Prussian Ministry of the Interior issued an ordinance on June 1, 1933 to suppress public begging . Poverty and need were more and more criminalized.

With the abolition of Section 361 (1) No. 4 in the Criminal Code with effect from April 2, 1974, begging is no longer a criminal offense in the Federal Republic of Germany.

From a religious point of view, the support, food and shelter for the poor and sick is a work of mercy . In doing so, benefits in kind (food, warm quarters) should be given preference from the above conditions.

Researching the genealogy of beggars is a difficult specialty that can rely on often extensive court and police files , wanted posters , etc.

The use of the term fire letter , which is still in use today, as an invitation and request for quick help, goes back to the document that has become known as the fire begging letter . This fire begging letter was a letter from authorities, the so-called burned down , i.e. people who had lost their belongings and houses in a fire, was issued for the purpose of begging, which was locally strictly forbidden. Since it was also partly associated with abuse, begging for fire was abolished with the introduction of compulsory fire insurance.

Legal situation in Germany

Beggars in Unna

Begging is allowed in principle in Germany, but false pretense conditions (for example, "'m homeless," "wallet stolen") can a beggar was present and intrusive begging can be used as in Germany misdemeanor punishable. Some beggars are homeless .

Begging is basically tax-free in Germany, i.e. income from it is not subject to income tax . However, if there is “commercial begging”, this can possibly be interpreted as income from commercial operations in accordance with Section 15 of the Income Tax Act , although this is unlikely to be verifiable in practice.

In the past there have been reports in the media from Berlin , Cologne and Munich , for example , according to which groups often referred to as the “begging mafia” there are “organized” begging by immigrants from Eastern Europe and being exploited by the “begging mafia”. Such media publications also give rise to prejudices and clichés against beggars from Eastern Europe and to harm them; it is not uncommon for them to arise exclusively from such clichés. If one follows the underlying information or an individual's fate more closely, an accusation of belonging to a “begging mafia” often disappears into thin air, because many of these beggars do this self-sufficient exclusively for their family, since the social welfare in countries of origin such as Slovakia is inadequate and ethnic groups, especially Roma, are severely discriminated against there. Bettina Wilhelm, First Mayor of Schwäbisch Hall , stated after examining the allegations: The fear of some Hall citizens that the beggars belong to organized criminal gangs is completely unfounded .

The begging of children in particular is highly controversial, based on the outlawing of child labor . It is particularly problematic when this deprives children of regular school attendance.

Numerous local authorities have tightened their begging regulations since 2016. Beginning in March 2017, for example, gang-like or organized begging, faking artistic performances, begging by touching, holding or harassing passers-by, begging when traffic is impaired, begging under the pretense of disabilities, illnesses or emergencies and begging is prohibited in Essen from March 2017 with the help of children or animals.

Legal situation in Austria

Similar rules apply in Austria as in Germany. However, income tax must be paid on income over € 624.18 . Begging with children has been strictly forbidden since the introduction of a corresponding law in June 2005 and is punishable by imprisonment or social work.

In Vienna , there is a ban on begging with regard to aggressive, organized begging, begging with underage minors and, since June 2010, also commercial begging, Section 2 of the Vienna State Security Act . Other federal states have also issued special regulations against begging with fines, for example the state of Salzburg .

Lower Austria

Due to a change in the state police law in Lower Austria , Lower Austria municipalities are allowed to issue sectoral begging bans. Wiener Neustadt is preparing the decision to ban begging from 2017.

Upper Austria

Organized and aggressive begging has been prohibited in Upper Austria since 2014. In Linz, begging has been prohibited in large parts of the city since May 2, 2016.

Styria

A general ban on begging by state law, which came into force in May 2011 and which Pastor Wolfgang Pucher had demonstrated, was repealed as unconstitutional in 2013, even if it would have allowed communities to define zones with begging permission.

Vorarlberg

In November and December 2015, sectoral begging bans were imposed in Bregenz , Bludenz and Dornbirn , which Dornbirner was confirmed by the Constitutional Court in 2016 . With the decision of March 15, 2017, the begging ban in Bregenz was partially lifted by the Constitutional Court. With the decision of the Constitutional Court on October 5, 2017, the ban on begging in Bludenz was fully recognized as illegal.

Begging bans

Partial or general begging bans are repeatedly discussed in both Austria and Germany. Proponents argue that basic security is guaranteed by the state anyway and begging is not necessary to secure a livelihood. Another argument in favor of begging bans is that children in particular are impaired in their socialization by begging . It is sometimes argued that the begging bans are intended to protect beggars from exploitation by mafia-like structures.

Opponents of the ban on begging argue that the former argument cannot be used for people who do not receive living wage labor or state support in their countries of origin (e.g. Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, etc.) and are not entitled to social benefits in Germany.

Statutes or ordinances at local and state level, which also wanted to prohibit non-aggressive "silent" begging, have been repealed as illegal in both Germany and Austria. In Austria they were seen as a violation of the freedom of expression enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights. However, there were no further violations of fundamental rights through begging bans, which had been brought forward by plaintiffs, for example in Upper Austria.

Begging in the Medieval Middle East

In the Islamic societies of the Middle East , begging for one's own livelihood was always disparagingly judged. In medieval literature, begging is mentioned several times with clearly illegal behavior such as prostitution and in connection with mendacity. This attitude was independent of the compulsory giving to the needy ( zakāt ) and the voluntary giving ( sadaqa ) as stipulated in the Koran . Institutionalized welfare for the poor existed only occasionally and for a limited time, instead the authorities relied on the individual willingness to donate and the small contributions made by pious foundations ( waqf ). Without state welfare and in the event that there was no support from the family, the individual was almost inevitably driven into begging. Only when there was no other way of earning income could beggars count on social legitimacy, which resulted in the religiously motivated willingness to donate for the elderly and the disabled. Beggars were part of the appearance of medieval mosques, markets and other public spaces.

In addition to the urban sedentary beggars who were pushed to the fringes of society, there were sedentary beggars who, according to the Arabic-language beggar literature, formed a criminal milieu together with various charlatans. There were beggars who pretended to be sick, limb, and other disabilities, and others who posed as pilgrims and ascetics robbed. At the end of the 10th century, the brotherhood of the Banu Sasan ("Sons of Sasan") became known, whose name goes back to a legendary Sheikh Sasan from the Sassanid dynasty . The Banu Sasan gave its members an independent identity that was separated from the majority society. The group included beggars, fortune tellers, snake charmers , lion tamers, amulet sellers, faith healers, reliquary forgers and other charlatans, including those who were commissioned for money to carry out the Hajj to Mecca on behalf of someone and did not do so. One of the three Arabic shadow plays by the poet Ibn Daniyal (1248–1311) is about the Banu Sasan. In this play the fictional narrator proclaims the self-assessment of the Banu Sasan: "We are the brotherhood of beggars."

A third group includes the religious beggars associated with the mystical movement of Sufism . In the 12th century organized brotherhoods ( tariqa ) emerged from the individual paths of salvation . The religious beggars are called fakir (“poor”) in Arabic and dervish in Turkish . The ascetics opposed their ideal of poverty to the majority view, according to which it is a duty for every Muslim to earn his own living. One such group of religious beggars was the Qalandar, which was widespread in the 13th century . In addition to begging, they deliberately set themselves apart from the majority society by disregarding religious norms and generally deviating social behavior. They made themselves recognizable by shaving their scalp and whiskers.

Others

The cello by violin maker GB Guadagnini with the name Il Mendicante ("The Beggar") is said to have belonged to a beggar in Paris in the 19th century who, despite his poverty, did not sell it because of its incomparable sound. Today this cello belongs to the cellist Thomas Beckmann .

literature

  • Dieter Bindzus, Jerome Lange: Is begging illegal? - A historical outline with a view. In: JuS . 1996, pp. 482-486.
  • Arwed Emminghaus: The poor system and poor legislation in European countries. Berlin 1870.
  • Wolfram Fischer : Poverty in History. Forms and attempts to solve the “social question” in Europe since the Middle Ages. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1982, ISBN 3-525-33465-6 .
  • Bronislaw Geremek : History of Poverty. Misery and Mercy in Europe. Artemis, Munich / Zurich 1988.
  • Mathias Kautzky: Human rights on the test bench: begging bans - considerations from a legal, sociological and political science perspective. AV Akademikerverlag, Saarbrücken 2013, ISBN 978-3-639-46866-3 .
  • Alexander Klein: Welfare for the poor and fight against begging in Upper Austria 1753–1806 with special consideration of the cities of Freiburg and Constance . Alber, Freiburg 1994, ISBN 3-495-49938-5 .
  • Ferdinand Koller (Ed.): Begging in Vienna: Facts and analyzes from different scientific disciplines. Lit, Vienna 2012, ISBN 978-3-643-50387-9 .
  • Andreas Voß: Begeln und Spenden: A sociological study of rituals of voluntary poor relief, their historical and current forms as well as their social achievements. De Gruyter, Berlin 1992, ISBN 3-11-013578-7 .
  • Wolfgang Wüst : Chastised poverty. Social discipline in the labor and poor institutions of the "front" Reich circles. In: Journal of the Historisches Verein für Schwaben 89. 1996, pp. 95–124.

Web links

Wiktionary: Beggar  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Commons : Begging  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Wikiquote: Beggars  - Quotes

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jürgen Kuczynski: Studies on the history of the situation of the working child in Germany from 1700 to the present. Berlin 1968, p. 4.
  2. ^ Wolfgang Schneider: Folk culture and everyday life. In: Ulrich Wagner (Hrsg.): History of the city of Würzburg. 4 volumes, Volume I-III / 2, Theiss, Stuttgart 2001–2007, Volume 1 (2001): From the beginnings to the outbreak of the Peasants' War. ISBN 3-8062-1465-4 , pp. 491-514 and 661-665, here: pp. 499 f., 502 and 663.
  3. ↑ On the fight against begging - the beginning of public welfare in Zurich. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . November 16, 1976, p. 39.
  4. ↑ On workhouse accommodation in the 19th and 20th centuries, cf. Wolfgang Ayaß : The work house in Breitenau. Beggars, vagrants, prostitutes, pimps and welfare recipients in the correctional and rural poor institution in Breitenau (1874–1949). , Kassel 1992.
  5. ↑ Printed by Wolfgang Ayaß (arr.): “Community foreigners”. Sources on the persecution of "anti-social" 1933–1945 , Koblenz 1998, No. 4.
  6. ↑ § 361 aF lexetius.com. Accessed November 4, 2012.
  7. ↑ Section 118 (1) OWiG
  8. ↑ on commercialism
  9. ^ "Begging Mafia": Completely unscrupulous. In: Hamburger Abendblatt . June 23, 2005.
  10. ↑ The begging mafia is now scrounging with dogs. In: Berliner Zeitung . May 16, 2013. Accessed December 13, 2013.
  11. ^ The Romanian begging mafia of Cologne. In: Deutsche Welle . December 10, 2013. Accessed December 13, 2013.
  12. ↑ Gangs on the move in Germany - How the begging mafia turns pity into money. In: Focus . September 26, 2012, p. 1. Accessed December 13, 2013.
  13. ^ Wolfgang Berger: A beggar in Nürtingen. Curb life against will. In: Stuttgarter Nachrichten. December 29, 2014.
  14. ↑ Manuel Werner: Stamped: Sinti and Roma in Nürtingen and the surrounding area before, during and after the Nazi era. ( Memento from December 31, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) In: Nürtingen Victims of National Socialist Persecution. Website of the memorial initiative for the victims and sufferers of National Socialism in Nürtingen, especially the section " Criminalized and excluded as a beggar
  15. ^ Sigrid Bauer: Roma in Schwäbisch Hall: Mayor visits beggars. In: Haller Tagblatt. November 13, 2014.
  16. ^ Peter Maxwill: New regulation: City of Essen forbids begging with children and animals. Spiegel online, February 17, 2017, accessed February 17, 2017 .
  17. ↑ www.jusline.at Legal text § 2 WLSG - begging. Accessed August 10, 2011.
  18. ↑ www.salzburger-armutskonferenz.at Ban on begging Austria - comparison (PDF; 46 kB). Accessed August 10, 2011.
  19. ↑ Wr. Neustadt introduces begging ban in 2017 orf.at, November 8, 2016, accessed November 8, 2016.
  20. ↑ Ban on begging in Linz - According to the police, no more ads nachrichten.at, June 29, 2016, accessed November 8, 2016.
  21. ↑ Ban on begging is unconstitutional orf.at, January 10, 2013, accessed November 8, 2016.
  22. ↑ Ban on begging has an effect - exception Dornbirn orf.at, February 19, 2016, accessed November 8, 2016.
  23. ↑ Constitutional Court confirms ban on begging in Dornbirn presse.com, November 5, 2016, accessed November 8, 2016.
  24. ↑ Jutta Berger, ban on begging in Bregenz partially lifted , Der Standard , March 15, 2017, last accessed on October 6, 2017.
  25. ↑ Ban on begging in Bludenz lifted , orf.at, October 5, 2017, last accessed on October 6, 2017.
  26. ↑ VGH Baden-Württemberg · Decision of July 6, 1998 · Az. 1 S 2630/97
  27. ^ Basic decision on the prohibition of begging in Austria. Press release VGH Constitutional Court Austria
  28. ↑ Barbara Weichselbaum: The prohibitions of begging in the judicature of the VfGH. In: Public Law, Yearbook 2013. NWV Verlag, Vienna, 2013 ISBN 978-3-7083-0924-8
  29. ^ Konrad Hirschler: Beggars in the premodern Middle East. In: Anja Pistor-Hatam , Antje Richter (ed.): Beggar, Prostitute, Paria. Marginalized groups in Asian societies. (= Asia and Africa. Contributions from the Center for Asian and African Studies (ZAAS) at the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel. Volume 12). EB-Verlag, Hamburg 2008, p. 70 f.
  30. ^ Konrad Hirschler: Beggars in the premodern Middle East. 2008, p. 87.
  31. ^ Konrad Hirschler: Beggars in the premodern Middle East. 2008, p. 94 f.
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