Unlike some countries in Northern Europe where begging is prohibited and offenders face penalties, Italy legally tolerates this activity at the national level as long as children and animals are not used in the process, with specific measures decided by municipalities. Thus, a small town on the Ligurian coast has decided to punish those who give money.
Most regulations regarding where and how begging is allowed are set by the local community, which is why the ordinance from a small town on the Ligurian coast that punishes those who give money instead of the beggars themselves has attracted significant attention.
– It is pointless to fine beggars who cannot or do not want to pay the fine, so we decided to direct the ordinance against begging towards those who give them money, in order to put an end to this practice, said Giacomo Pallanca, the mayor of Bordighera, as reported by the media.
Behind begging are well-organized criminal groups. We need to discourage the mafia that views begging as a business under its control, and those who are truly in need and expect help should be included in the social programs offered by the state, Pallanca explained.
The new regulations will not apply only on days of major Christian holidays when people are usually more generous than usual, especially during the tourist season.
The media also reports that other Italian cities may follow this example, and the municipality of Bordighera has received praise from Steve Barnes, a man who was once homeless in Rome and now runs the Project Roma foundation, which helps hundreds of homeless people in the Italian capital.
