Beggars kept like cattle for their own protection

[Ensapa]

What do you guys think? I find this appalling that humans are being treated like animals....but we should not treat living beings like this in the first place..


no less during a temple fair!!!!! Well it is taoist..

Beggars Caged & Penned Up Behind Bars at Nanchang Temple Fair
by Li on Tuesday, October 2, 2012 166 Comments and 0 Reactions comments


From The Beijing News:


Metal Bars Pen Up Beggars at Nanchang Temple Fair
Beggars were all sitting within a “metal cage”, with various kinds of basins and bowls placed just outside the bars, waiting for passing tourists to give them money. Yesterday [September 18th], several photographs taken at the Temple Fair of Xishan Town, Xinjian County, Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, incited controversy.

The Temple Fair of Xishan Town, where the famous Taoist Temple “Wanshou Gong” is located, attracts a few hundred thousands visitors and worshipers during the 8th month of the Chinese Lunar Calendar.



As shown in the photos, one side of the Temple Fair street is sheltered by an awning about 50 meters long, with the shaded area surrounded by metal fences. Inside, more than 100 beggars, male, female, old and young, all sit on the ground, and outside the bars in front of them were all kinds of basins and bowls, many with some small change placed in them. Suspended on the metal fencing above was a sign that read: “Temporary Rescue Shelter”.

As reported by the media, an employee of the Temple Fair said that the people in the fences are all beggars, and enclosing them was to prevent visiting worshipers from being cheated by these “beggars”. As well, there is dedicated staff who will provide them with water and meals.

Yesterday [September 18th], some netizens said that this was “treating the beggars as guilty until proven innocent”, “disrespecting their human dignity, a direct restriction of personal freedom and even suspicion of illegal detainment”.



Response: Penning Them Up Is To Prevent Them from Being Trampled; Entering And Exiting Are Allowed

Yesterday afternoon [September 18th], Mr. Chen who works at the Xishan Town Government Office said that the people who have been penned up are mostly “professional beggars” from other towns, who come to the fair every year. He explained that many of them were old, weak, ill or disabled, making it hard for them to move. Some of them would even lie on the ground, so enclosing them in metal fencing is out of fear that they’ll be stepped on and trampled accidentally.

He also said that they had tried to tell them to leave and tried to drive them away in the past, but they would not leave, so the using metal fencing is also something they had to resort to. Additionally, the Temple Fair organizers have arranged for people to provide water and meals to the beggars. This Temple Fair worker emphasized that the beggars have not actually had their freedom restricted, “For example, if they want to use the bathroom, they are allowed to go outside, but if they want to beg, they have to do so inside the metal fencing”.



On the same day, an employee of Xinjian County Government also said that this was a temporary rescue shelter, and they encouraged beggars to go inside voluntarily. And the open-style shelter was to prevent trampling accidents. However, the local Bureau of Civil Affairs has already given the beggars transportation fare and sent them home.

[dondrup]

Yes it is truly appalling to place these beggars behind the cages even though the motivation was to prevent them from being trampled upon by other visitors.  It is not about whether visitors are being cheated by these beggars, it is about why the authorities had not helped get these beggars off the streets in the first place!  The authority is encouraging these beggars by allowing them to remain behind the fences to continue to beg and to cheat visitors.

[Q]

This really is a chicken and egg situation... if the authorities do not build the fencing and one of the beggars get trampled or hurt, then people will start talking that the authorities did not take action or that beggars are scattered around causing obstruction to the visitors... while on the other hand, they take action (though not very tastefully done...) and still get criticized for their actions. Either way, they will be criticized by the public eye.

I'm not saying that I'm supporting their action such as this... No one or no being should be fenced up... I have two dogs at home, and neither one of them have even lived a day of their lives in a cage. Bad example, but just to show u my point that I'm not in favor of this method.

The people are technically not forcefully placed behind the bars... in fact they are free to leave as they please, with the condition that any begging they make must be through this bars. Is this not the same way how certain pharmacies or even sundry shops function in less developed countries such as India? Where the customers will stand behind a small window, place their order and exchange things through a metal bar... which was made to protect the seller, and to some extent the customers as well?

So in conclusion, is this treatment to these individuals considered bad? Yes, it is. But whatever it is, nothing the government can do to make them have a better life/ treatment besides helping them to find jobs or homes... without these two necessities, they will continue to beg for the rest of their life.

[Jessie Fong]

I think is is inhuman to be caged up like wild animals, regardless whether it is for the beggars' safety or for any other reasons. If the temple authority or the Town Office would like to provide shelter and safety to these beggars, they could try another alternative of providing temporary canopy and insruct them to stay behind queue lines.

While these may not deter them from wandering "out of place", it definitely is much better than having them penned behind bars that make them look like prisoners.

[Tenzin K]

It’s really an argument situation here.
Those beggars being taken care by the organizer by providing foods, drinks and kind of a shelter to cover from hot sun but caging them doesn’t really sound good but this is one of the way they prevent them from being hurt.

Exactly like what Q mentioned those people are not being force to be placed behind the bars. There are always ways and methods can be implement to respect each other in a more rational.

What more important in this issues is the long term for the beggars. Whether they should be continue their in living such a way or other alternative that either government or individual social organization can provide to help. Without social aid this problem will occur frequently just the matter of different occasion but the same scenarios or could be worst.

Awareness from the public is important and the government and other social body should work hand in hand to create a better support for them. 

[sonamdhargey]

Caging these beggars like animals is totally absurd. The beggars are taken care by the organizers this way? If the organizers really want to take care of the beggars, the beggars should be treated more humanely instead caging them like that. Temporary shelters like tents or transfer them to open compounds with temporary canopies like what Jessie Fong said. Basic amenities should be provided to the beggars if they organizers want to help.

[brian]

This is very disturbing for me. Maybe it is a question of too many of them here and that is why the authorities finding it hard to do anything about this. But then again, there should be equally enough people to fend them off unless it is legal to beg around.

So i reckon that is why this idea of treating them like animals (sorry!) came in place. If the authorities can 'cage' them in, they sure have the ability to chase them away so that this sorry scene would not come into existence at all. I wonder if this only happens in China as i hardly see this anywhere else

[rossoneri]

Although visually it does not look appealing, but is hard to say who's right and who's wrong. Yes, we should not caged up a person but they weren't forced to do so, more over they are allow to go to rest room if needed. Perhaps the organizer should use a normal fence to prevent them from roaming freely. But are these people really a beggar who really need help or there's a  syndicate behind making all the profits by using "compassion" as their unique selling point. Well, i guess it does not matter so much if we donate to them with the right motivation but will this be an encouragement to create much more people into this kind of profession? Dilemma

[brian]

on another note, what actually amazed me was that the people inside the cage were kinda happy with what they are in (!). Some were even enjoying themselves as seen in the photos. Is this a standard which they have set themselves into or they have achieved complete selfless by not caring how others will think of them when they walk by or they just don't care anymore as long as they get food or money. I guess it must be the latter. Its an eyesore by the way!

[bambi]

When you 1st look at the pictures, it may look cruel but they have a roof over their heads, they get to go the loo should they need to, food/drinks when they are hungry and transportation fares.

Seriously, can you imagine hundreds of them charging at you for donations? Some lying in the road, some with kids running all over the place, some with old sickness? The place where they are seating may look like a cage but they get to go in and out any time so long as they do not beg on the streets. There are cases where some people died because of uncontrollable crowds. If you guys have been to India and see the people begging, I would prefer it this way but again, we have different opinions.

[diamond girl]

This really is a chicken and egg situation... if the authorities do not build the fencing and one of the beggars get trampled or hurt, then people will start talking that the authorities did not take action or that beggars are scattered around causing obstruction to the visitors... while on the other hand, they take action (though not very tastefully done...) and still get criticized for their actions. Either way, they will be criticized by the public eye.

I'm not saying that I'm supporting their action such as this... No one or no being should be fenced up... I have two dogs at home, and neither one of them have even lived a day of their lives in a cage. Bad example, but just to show u my point that I'm not in favor of this method.

The people are technically not forcefully placed behind the bars... in fact they are free to leave as they please, with the condition that any begging they make must be through this bars. Is this not the same way how certain pharmacies or even sundry shops function in less developed countries such as India? Where the customers will stand behind a small window, place their order and exchange things through a metal bar... which was made to protect the seller, and to some extent the customers as well?

So in conclusion, is this treatment to these individuals considered bad? Yes, it is. But whatever it is, nothing the government can do to make them have a better life/ treatment besides helping them to find jobs or homes... without these two necessities, they will continue to beg for the rest of their life.

I like what you said Q.

Yes on a general principle people should not be caged except for criminals. Am I having double standards? Are criminals not human? Just food for thought...

Back to the beggars, personally it is not such a bad plan. My point of view may be a little demented here but what I see is a marketing gimmick. People/tourists are actually taking notice and giving them money. The government may not have funds to get them off the streets per se, so by "caging" them they get some money and is also safe. Have you walked the streets in China, they are very crowded. People knock into one another and it is normal, they do not even stop to apologize. The beggars are actually "safe" like this.

Yes they are "professional beggars", I am sure it is not by choice. They must be desperate in some way. Would people prefer they steal and pick pocket tourists? I am sure the government would not want that.

In principle, this is inhuman. However, in practicality it is the better of many options available given the circumstances.

[buddhalovely]

IN CHINA, BEGGARS ARE TREATED LIKE ANIMALS, WHILE A LOT OF CHINESE COMMUNIST RULERS ARE MAKING RICHER AND RICHER DAY BY DAY. Look at those bars, how inhumane! Well, except that I presume they can leave whenever they want, they seem to have cover from rain and sun, they have access to bathroom facilities, they're not being prevented from begging, and they're given fare for the trip home after the fair. These are humans, by god! Why would we allow them to voluntarily appear as if they were involuntarily confined?!

[pgdharma]

Though it may seem not right for them to be caged up, yet these beggars are not complaining. They looked happy in the photos. They are sheltered from rain and sun, are provided with food and water and they receive donation in an orderly manner and at the end of the day, they will be paid a transportation fare home. They are not forced and it’s their choice to go inside the cage. This way is better than uncontrolled begging as many old beggars will be trampled when they charged forth to ask for donation. However, the best solution is that the government can help them so that they do not have to be beggars for the rest of their lives.

[Rihanna]

Begger's are also human beings ! Even though they may cause trouble during the temper fairs, why would the organizer caged then and treat then like lesser beings ?

the last picture disturbed me the most, the old ladies were smiling brightly even though she was amongst those who were kept behind bars...i feel sad for her cause she doesn't know she was suffering..

[vajrastorm]

Pondering over the inhumane way in which these beggars are being caged and placed behind bars, one can only justify an action like this by seeing these beggars as a potential threat to visitors of the fair should they rise up as a mob and threaten to hurt or harm visitors.

Nonetheless, however decently they seem to be treated, with food and water being provided for them and their being allowed to use the facilities of the bathroom should they need them,putting them behind bars is showing not even the slightest respect for them. Putting them behind bars and caging them in even temporarily,is seeing them as no better than animals.(Not that I am saying that animals should be caged .Far from it. I don't support caging any being at all. If they are wild, they should be returned to their natural habitat).

If the authorities did not wish them to prey on innocent visitors,they should have rounded them up immediately and sent them back to where they came from.Or they could have housed them in proper shelters elsewhere, not make them objects of public spectacle in a place visited by such big crowds.
Furthermore, the authorities should also have acted to solve the problem of their having to beg, by finding them proper shelters or welfare homes. They could be trained to make an honest living, through perfecting some skills or craftsmanship or through some vocational training.