Assessment of Spatial Distribution, Characteristics, and Socio-Economic Status of Urban Beggars in Karachi City, Pakistan

Abstract

Begging is a social problem of every urbanized city, most importantly in the developing countries. Due to the increasing population and lack of earning resources in the urban cities, begging is now extremely entrenched in the roots of society. The problem has never been resolved either by the government or civil society, particularly in the developing world.  Beggars are usually found in highly dense urban and sub urban areas so that the advantage of the structural inequality of wealth and mobility between the beggars can be achieved. This study is conducted in Karachi, a mega city of Pakistan. Eighteen different towns of the city were surveyed during the study period and around 740 beggars were interviewed. The main aim of the study was to find out the characteristics, socioeconomic status, and the spatial distribution of the urban beggars. A stratified random sampling method is used to collect the data. The study confirms the influence of land use on the spread of beggars. The study also finds out that most of the beggars are migrated from different provinces and based on gender; percentage of male beggars is high as compared to the female beggars. The study further reveals that beggars typically move toward the highly urbanized areas of the city to earn a good earning.  The study suggests that the municipalities and NGOs can work together to get rid of this social problem by implementing the policies and procedures already laid down to accommodate these beggars in the mainstream of society.