BEGGING MAFIA

Begging is simply the custom of calling on others to offer a favor, which is cash most often without
reciprocating. Beggars can be found near busy markets and at public places such as road signals,
parks.
Beggary is a dynamic, complex and multifaceted phenomenon and has developed over time
into a loose network of organized crime, and its nature and extent.
And the organized criminal beggar involves the exploitation of persons, which is the monetary
gain in essence..
Beggary can be classified into three distinct categories. Based on its motivation, beggary can be
centered on need, convenience, or organized crime.
1. Need – it is the most common of all, when an individual’s runs out of all means to survive, this
beggary results in the end. Its when human lack all means and resources to sustain his existence,
he’d finally be left to beg.
2. Convenience or Preference – some people who don’t feel like working but still need to earn
money to survive, so they find begging to be the most efficient way of making a living, despite of
having skill set, aims, and preferences , they on purpose prefer to beg.
3. Organized Crime – People may or may not be forced into begging through criminal networks.
As mentioned earlier it entails the exploitation of people for financial gain that’s basically the
monetary gain.
Organized crime includes corporate structure, bribery, illegal business practices, as well as the use
of force and even violence.
Hagan proposes a classification framework for three-level organized crime groups..
He classified groups under:
  Level one that includes highly sophisticated and well established organizations such as
Cosa Nostra.
 Level two includes groups that are semi organized,
 Level three has groups are low-level establishments such as street gangs.
Then later on Gottschalk introduces an evolutionary model that was characterized by four levels
of the organizational maturity.
His model is based on the assumption that organizations of crime will mature over time. These
Criminal organizations can be categorized according to their level of the maturity:
1) Level 1 – Activity-Based Criminal Organizations
• Rule-based
2) Level 2 – Knowledge-Based Criminal Organizations
• Specialization, institutional knowledge development
3) Level 3 – Strategy-Based Criminal Organizations
• Power hierarchy, organizational goals
4) Level 4 – Value-Based Criminal Organizations
• Charismatic leadership, shared vision and values

Types of beggars:
It has been seen that beggars use different ways to seek people’s attention. Its happening in our
society that children are being kidnapped from streets, orphanages and even homes as well and are
being taken away to be trained by the kidnappers for begging.
There are three types of beggars that are prevailing in our society, those types are as follow,
 Professional beggars:

The largest number of this type seems to make sentimental cries and makes heart rending
appeals. They are most frequently seen in Markaz, bazaars , traffic signals and U turns etc.
They beg in the name of religion and recite the verses of holy Quran and verses of Naat to
gain people attention. They appear to look sick and unhealthy even though they are healthy
in actual. Just masking the fake get up to gain sympathy. Some of them are on carts and
crawling on, some on foot paths and roads has broken legs and arms that is being done
intentionally by their masters.

 Child beggars:

This type belongs to lower class that includes very poor and down families. These children
are very well trained. Instead of going schools they are being sent by their parents to beg.
 They are a lot in number and are there on traffic signals and waits for cars to stop, as soon
as the car stops they rush to the car and persecute the owner.

 Genuine beggars:

They are few in numbers who are genuine and are non-professional. Most of them are
widows and weak, disabled old men who are unable to do work.

Beggarization

‘’ Beggarization is the practice of begging with the criminal intent to defraud the donor, carried
out in an organized fashion, and handled as a business’’
It can be voluntary or involuntary.
a) Voluntary Beggarization:
The beggarization which, as people willingly enter into this activity, is voluntary. These include
those in the positions of power of an organisation, as well as those who indulge in coercion and
force others to do so beggarization.
b) Involuntary Beggarization
In this type of beggarization, the employees and slaves are used for their financial value and may
be physically or mentally abused by intimidation, disfiguration or other aggressive measures and
at times disposed of.
Begging as an organised crime in Pakistan:
The investigation shows that begging is an organized crime in Pakistan, and it is estimated that
there are two to 25 million beggars in Pakistan. There are many causes of supplication which allow
people to beg.
Begging has not been taken seriously and is one of Pakistan's biggest problems. Begging is
increasingly an issue that leads to numerous main problems, including street crime, theft, poverty
reduction, abuse and exploitation. Pakistan is facing an alarming rate of supplication on the
highway.
Simply put, it is called begging to request a donation in a form of supplication. Bethlehem is a
common sight from public places to fancy areas. Unlike slavery, supplication is one of the world's
oldest occupations. Bidding was accepted and even promoted in our society because we were
taught that the individual who alms the poor gains spiritual merits. What we have forgotten is,
however, that these people, the sole purpose of their lives, are professionals and live idly on simple
bread.
Elected ministers, from vagabonds to names, are, in and out of, the same to some degree. The
methods may vary, the masks may be different, but the goals are almost similar. In our culture,
most people give beggars more than their feelings for beggars to receive sawab (divine credits). It
is not uncommon for a wife to be able to give Sadka (charity) to the beggar through a car window
after the husband tried to pursue him. No rule or change will prohibit a career of begging, as long
as we don't avoid this easy path to the heavens. Beggars have selected various attractions and
locations for their job.
In reality, 8 out of 10 kidnapped and recovered children told the authorities that the old man
kidnapped them, usually by offering them candy, according to statistics from a police station.
Surprisingly, many beggars have their own unique territory to defend. The beggar, who begs in
some fine market area, wouldn't allow anyone, unless members of the beggar union allow it, to
come and plead there. Beggars are educated or abused to such an inhuman degree that they are
afraid to die when asked about their networks or educators to shield them and save them from jails.
Such god-fathers are the deities that the beggars admire and fear at the same time. A beggar who
swore from me that his name should not be known and that often, in so-called sober and high class
societies, these people are well known and powerful. The doyens with underhand connections to
police authorities book time and space in various parts of a busy city and decide which beggar is
to deploy when and where. Different points have different rates, heavy traffic stations have a
greater income and a higher booking cost.
In the area of begginging, Kingary and Patto, two main castes (or races) dominate. Individuals
from Patto caste typically go to every stage to become wealthy. Prostitution is popular among their
women and their women sometimes sell to beggar unions or mafias their own children. Their kids
sold Rs ($250) to Rs ($625) for Rs 50,000. Another thing worth mentioning is that a wife pay a
token for her bride, who starts with 50 thousand and goes to 1 lakh of money (1250 dollars), in
both these castes. It can be paid in advance or the bridegroom should be told by his bride that he
will beg for money until the debt has been cancelled.
A well-known mandi (market) is in Shahjamal Chowk, where Baba Shah Jamal Ursss (special
ritual) is conducted from 12:00 to 4:00 a.m. The Bhatti Gate or Bilalganj Lahore is another famous
mandi of beggars. Karachi has a similar market. According to one of the beggar mentioned in a
study, told that every year, unions negotiate with him and pay him fifty thousand rupees to take
him for begging, a dropdown who had just removed his feet and a single arm for pleading's sake.
He also told me that in Islamabad there are also beggar markets. Every year scavengers in Lahore
and Karachi meet in Golra Shariff and Bari Imam for the Mela (fair), where they also trade in
complete secrecy. All these markets are located close to places of worship with high values and
reverence from everyone's heart.
However, there is a broad consensus that organized criminal supplicative groups exist in Pakistan,
and in recent years the number of such groups has increased. This increase in beggarisation took
place alongside professionalization of beggar in general, as comfort or preferential beggars in the
generally profitable begging environment of Pakistan proliferate. "The most beggars are
professionals and profit thousands of rupees on a daily basis," according to Imtiaz Sarwar, City
Superintendent of the Traffic Police of Lahore.
He also believes organized supplication is normal and mendicant masters monitor individual
mendicant activities.

Economic Factors that Contribute to Begging

When analyzing the current economic conditions of Pakistan, many issues arise that contribute to
the increase in begging over the years. Factor such as economic inequality, inflation and lack of
alternative opportunities increase vulnerability in people who are then seen as an opportunity for
exploitation by various criminal organizations.

Lack of Alternative Economic Opportunities

(Poverty, illiteracy, unemployment)
According to the Asian Development Bank, in 2015, 24.3% of the population of Pakistan lived
below the poverty line (Asian Development Bank, n.d.). Since then this number has risen to 29.5%
and is likely to increase over the years. Due to poverty, a large number of the population misses
out on a lot of opportunities that a middle class or the rich have access to. In a country where
people struggle to put food on the table, not every child gets the opportunity to pursue even primary
education. The current literacy rate in Pakistan is 51.8% for females and 72.5% for males
(H.Plecher, 2019). About 25 million children are in and out of school and the quality of education
these children receive is below par. Thousands of schools don’t even have the necessary facilities
like water, electricity, sanitation and sometime even walls. As a result, many people never get to
develop any basic or viable skills. Although the demand for unskilled labor is high globally but
due to Pakistan’s poor governance, poor foreign relations and bad (minimum wage) pay, these
people are at an even bigger disadvantage. All these factors further lead to unemployment. Poverty
and lack of education and skills, lead to a lack of alternative opportunities to sustain a normal life
and consequently, about 25% of the population of Pakistan has adopted begging as a profession
(Khalid, n.d.).

Inequality
Over the years the income gap between the poor and rich has been increasing rapidly. Between the
years 2004-2005, the income of the poor class declined by 1.42 % (i-e from 7.79% to 6.37%)
whereas, 50% of Pakistan’s total income went to the rich 20%. This means that on one side greater
economic inequality leads to larger number of vulnerable people, increasing the number of beggars
whereas on the other side the rich have more money to give to charity (2.5% Zakat in case of
Pakistan).

Inflation
A major contributor to increasing poverty is the rate of inflation. The current rate of inflation in
Pakistan is 8.9%, recorded in June, 2019. Which is 0.4% higher as compared to May, 2019 (Nasir,
2019). Food prices are at an all-time high. People can barely afford flour, meat or milk which can
be very hard on the lower class. Although Pakistan can produce sufficient amount of food for its
population, poverty and inflation lead to significant decrease in the purchasing power, hence, many
people just simply can’t afford food. This makes food an important commodity and beggars can
be often seen offering people sexual favors for a meal.

Economic Incentives and Prevalence of Begging

The increasing rate of begging in Pakistan is an inescapable reality. The willingness of a country
to be charitable leads to exponential growth in street begging. In other words excessive charitably
promotes a sense of dependency among the poorest class. Our Society enables beggars since many
people give enough money to beggars for begging to be worthwhile in the first place.

Even when arrested and taken to jail, where they have at least shelter and food, beggars still prefer
begging because they see it as “losing a day’s income”. When asked if they were offered a
respectable job would they quit begging, many beggars refused. This is because of the economic
incentives associated with begging. Begging is always economically motivated. Whether a person
is begging because of being forced into some criminal organization, poverty or inequality, or
because of personal preference, it is because begging is convenient and highly profitable. Since
begging has become a professional career for many, it provides a substantially higher income than
an unskilled labor job. For example, in Islamabad a female child beggar makes approximately
Rs40, 000/month whereas a female child domestic worker makes a minimum of Rs800/month
(Azam, 2011).
Every rupee that you give to beggars, increases profitability and hence increases the negative
externalities associated with begging (Qadri, 2012). Since begging generates a higher revenue,
criminal organizations “hire” more and more beggars. The increase in begging is also linked with
higher economic profitability associated with children. This increases the demand to have more
children either biologically or through kidnapping. Illnesses or handicap are treated as an
additional asset as it manipulates the emotions of the society. Because of this, criminal
organizations sometime purposely mentally or physically handicap the street children and in some
instances have drugged infants and toddlers so that they appear “sick”, destroying any chance of a
normal life for them.

Despite many legal actions, professional begging still prevails and is growing because of its cost-
benefit. As a result many criminal organizations do not have a problem breaking the law because
the revenue generated is much higher. These organizations not only break the law but also get
away with it by paying “protection money” to people in law enforcement to turn a blind eye. This
makes the anti-begging or child protection laws ineffective.

These economic conditions and incentives make people desperate and vulnerable and it becomes
easier to take advantage of them. This is one of the main reasons why the begging business is
blooming and more and more mafias are popping up every year.

Beggary and Islam

Islam has strictly forbidden from asking others for money or any other riches rather one has to earn
its income by its own effort. Islam encourages to give money to the needy and the poor as Sadqa
or Zakat. But Islam does not allow begging and our beloved Prophet (PBUH) has told us to refrain
from begging. So how does begging and Islam connect? Because people of Pakistan are keen on
spending in the name of Allah. Individuals whenever they come across any beggar they try their
best to give that beggar money and this collectively has increased the trend of beggars and that’s
why many beggar mafias are established. The beggar mafias use religion as a tool to get money
from people. And they especially take advantage of the holy month of Ramadan.
Begging is no more than laziness and manipulating philanthropic feelings of the community. Such
people do not even abstain from interpreting the idea of tawakkul (putting one’s trust in God)
according to themselves. They deem it tawakkul to sit back idly and expect some things from
others (nap_stealer, 2010).
Beggary is banned in Pakistan and is prohibited in Islam, though it is permitted in the religion in
times of great need (Azam, 2011).
However, when we look at some verses of the Quran and the actions and words of the Messenger
of Allah (PBUH), we see that it is necessary to give something to the person who begs not to reject
him: When the ways of righteousness are listed in the Quran, the beggars are mentioned along with
relatives, orphans, the needy and the wayfarers.
Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness
is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives
wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for
help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who] fulfill
their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during
battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous (Al-Baqara
(2) 177).
Since Zakat is also mentioned in the same verse after beggars, it should be something other than
Zakat. In addition, when the characteristics of righteous people who deserve the blessings in
Paradise are listed in two verses, the phrase "in their wealth and possessions, the right of the
(needy), him who asked and him who was prevented from asking is used.
And in their wealth there was a rightful share for him who would ask and for the destitute. (Adh-
Dhariyat, 51:19)
And those within whose wealth is a known right(70:24). For the petitioner and the deprived
(70:25) Al-Ma’arij
It means it is necessary to give to the needy and the beggar that is not known whether he is needy
or not.
“Some among you do not ever abandon begging. Finally, on the Day of Resurrection, that
dishonorable person will meet Allah with no flesh left on his face.” (Muslim, Zakat, 103).

“Whoever continues to beg people for their property in order to accumulate much property, surely
asks for a piece of fire…” (Muslim, Zakat, 105).

“It is better for one among you to bring a load of firewood on his back and give charity out of it
(and satisfy his own need) and be independent of people, than that he should beg from people,
whether they give him anything or refuse him (Muslim, Zakat, 107).
So the above two statements are itself contradictory but from them we can infer that begging even
when you have the ability to earn is a sin and is prohibited but it is also advised to muslims to give
something to beggars if they ask you whether they appear rich or poor. But another thing that we
can infer that begging cannot be chosen as an occupation. But the beggar mafia uses Islam and has
always manipulated people.

Zakat and begging

In the holy month of Ramadan the advent of begging increases as this month is characterized by
giving to society, sharing, helping others and giving zakat. This increases the begging behavior of
beggars and Muslims feel more inclined to give to the beggars. The economic viability and
profitability of beggarization is vested in deep rooted religious beliefs and customs, as well as state
sponsored religious laws that prevail in Pakistan’s society where the financial religious obligation
of zakat exists on individual and state levels; both are integral to the existing and potential growth
of beggarization. The state distribution of zakat is regulated and zakat spent by individuals is
unregulated (Azam, 2011).

Beggarization and its laws in Pakistan

Section 7 of the West Pakistan Vagrancy Ordi-nance 158, prohibited beggary. Begging is illegal
in Pakistan, according to the West Pakistan Loitering Ordinance of 1958, this law remains largely
unforced as a massive increase in the number of beggars from past decades.
In Pakistan, begging is punishable by up to three years imprisonment. But police and lawyers say
convictions are rare. In 2011, the Lahore High Court ruled that the government should strictly
enforce laws to discourage “professional beggary,” set up homes for the destitute, and improve
charity disbursements for the poorest (AFP, 2013).
“Most beggars, if arrested, get bail,” said lawyer Mohammad Tayyab. “Judges also take into
consideration the lack of welfare homes for the destitute and the result is that once released,
offenders again start begging.” (AFP, 2013).
Although there are laws but there is nothing that the government of Pakistan is doing for the
implementation of this law. This has been going on for centuries and no political party has taken
a stand on this issue. And we see beggars everywhere and they are not being punished either.

Experiment done by Sar-e-Aam

Sar e Aam is a Pakistani television show, aired on Ary News and hosted by Iqrar ul Hassan. It is
famous for famous for exposing corrupt and unauthentic products/public services like fake amils,
poorly manufactured products disguising famous company names, etc. The team of sar-e-aam
wanted to expose the beggar mafia and wanted to explore how they operate. The host Iqrar Ul
Hassan disguised as a beggar. They did this for 3 days. On the first day he went to a busy chorangi
in Karachi called Ayesha Manzal and started begging there. When one beggar saw him he got
away from there but Iqrar captured him and started interviewing him and asked him why he was
begging when he looked perfectly fine. The beggar said that he had kidney problems and showed
him the medicine but those medicines were not kidney related medicines but gas medicines. Upon
further investigating he changed his statement that he begs to support a man who has rods inserted
in his feet and he can’t work. The host said that why don’t you work to support that person the
beggar said that all his family members are beggers and he will continue to beg. He had also earned
350 PKR till noon. So approximately he earns 700 PKR a day. And around 20,000 in a month.
Next he went to another busy chorangi where he was threatened by other beggars present there
which also included transgenders. A teenager came first and started threatening him to leave this
place as this was their area. When asked where do all the beggars came from they told that they all
came from one place.
On the 2nd day he went to a darga and sat in the lines of the faqeer. After some time another faqeer
came and demanded him to move somewhere else as it was his spot but the host refused to do so
which led to verbal fight and the faqeer went away and came back with another person and the
faqeer threatened to hit the host. The faqeer told him that he wasn’t trained enough and he earned
nothing. When the host asked him how much does he earn he told him he earns 2500 PKR in a
day. Which means in a month he earns about 75,000. Then when the fight escalated a police man
stepped in and upon investigating why they weren’t taking actions against the beggars the police
man said that they public will say that they are oppressing the poor.
On the 3rd day the team went to another chorangi. That day the situation got really worse. Two
teenagers came and constantly threatened him to move away from this place. Upon further
investigation he was told that they had a leader. And the host was taken to the leader when he
insisted on meeting the leader. They took him to the leader and the leader threteaned him and said
to tie him up there and the team intervened and upon seeing the camera the leader of the mafia ran
away.

Reality of beggars in Pakistan:

One of the biggest dilemmas Pakistan as a country has been facing in recent years is the increasing
epidemic of begging culture, young children, even old age citizens are being drawn into this
organised crime of ‘mafias’ who have taken charge of popular destinations across the country by
appointing people to beg and earn money for whomever they work for. Pakistan is no stranger to
poverty, in fact due to this very reason, there has been an increased ratio of crime and street
beggars. In order to make ends meet, people are being forced into such ‘professions’, which
gradually has become a source for income for approximately 25% of the Pakistani population.
However, according to some surveys, even though the average income of those living under the
poverty line is less than Rs 4000 a month, street beggars manage to earn significantly more than
the average person.

Even though this type of lifestyle would seem like the more ‘glamorous’ option for those falling
below the poverty line, it comes with its harsh realities. Unfortunately for the ones being forced
into these mafia’s, they are put through an immense amount of physical and emotional torture.
Mafia lords mostly make their beggars handicap just to gain sympathy from the public. The
constant threat of not being able to provide for their families, has forced many to commit suicide,
women are forced to sell their children and force youngsters to leave their homes and start begging
depriving them from fullfilling their basic rights. Young men, women and children are mostly
trained, recruited and relocated. These beggars, specifically children come from backward areas
of the country. They earn around 200-250 rupees per day (Haroon, 2011) which they have to
handover to the mafia, which keeps a big chunk of the sum and leaves a minimal amount for these
children to take home. Not only do these beggar mafias inflict pain on these beggars also exploit
the children, forcing them to engage in unlawful acts. Even with constricted income these young
adults and children are addicted to drugs and other substances, regardless of how much they earn,
they can be seen passed out on sidewalks after abusing such things. Despite
numerous claims by the authorities of rehabilitating people on the streets and eliminating the
begging mafia, there has been little improvement (Shah, 2019).

Child Victims of begging in Pakistan

According to the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) in Pakistan, there are 1.2 million
children on the streets of major cities and the urban center of Pakistan. Sahil, an NGO dedicated
to improving the quality of life for children and trying to eliminate child sexual abuse from the
country, says that 90% of the children, who are working as part of labor and on the streets, forced
or otherwise, are also sexually exploited. Because of these practices, not only are physical
disabilities on the rise, but these children are also at a huge risk of developing mental disabilities,
such as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), Schizophrenia, and Chronic Depression, among
a plethora of others. These young innocent members of the society lose their shot at living a normal
life, deprived from education, fun, basic rights that most kids their age enjoy without any worry.
In Pakistan, shrines and other religious places have always served as a magnet for beggars,
especially children, as many of the pilgrims believe giving money to the poor will increase the
chance of their prayers being heard. However, this always results in children being kidnapped and
traded between begging gangs, says Mohammed Ali, founder of the Roshni Helpline charity. "In
2010, 3,000 children went missing in Karachi alone," says Ali. "Many of these children will be
moved around shrines in Pakistan. They will have their heads shaved. They will be tattooed. They
will be made unrecognizable to their parents. "We have dealt with cases where children have a
limb cut off," he says. "Their hair can be pulled out. An eye can be removed. The intention is for
the child to attract sympathy and money." (Azhar, 2013). As for children with existing disabilities
they are especially sought after by kidnappers.

BEGGARS AROUND THE WORLD

An unfortunate reality of many third world countries and some first-world countries are beggars.
They can be discreet, demanding or persistent, depending on where in the world you are. There
are different kinds of beggars; those with disabilities, often purposely inflicted for the very purpose
of begging, faking disabilities, little children with puppy eyes and those that try to use humor like
‘Need money. Want to go partying’ to make people give them money.
What does not meet the eye, in the third world countries, is the force behind this ever escalating
problem of beggary, the organised “Beggar Mafia”, which can go at any lengths to safeguard their
selfish interests; and not even hesitating to hurt the young, the elderly and the children alike, if it
increases their chances of “earning” more. Perhaps these could be the worst kind of capitalists ever
to walk this planet.
BEGGARS IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES

England & Wales

Begging is illegal under the Vagrancy Act of 1824. However it does not carry a jail sentence and
is not enforced in many cities, although since the Act applies in all public places, it is enforced
more frequently on public transport.
The Vagrancy Act 1824 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that makes it an offence
to sleep rough or beg. It remains in force in England and Wales, and anyone found to be sleeping
in a public place or to be trying to beg for money can be arrested.

China
Begging in China is illegal if:
 Coercing, decoying or utilizing others to beg;
 Forcing others to beg, repeatedly tangling or using other means of nuisance.
Those cases are violations of the Article 41 of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law
of the People's Republic of China.
According to Article 262(2) or the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, organizing
disabled or children under 14 to beg is illegal and will be punished by up to 7 years in prison, and
fined.

France
France is perhaps the most notorious country for child begging in Western Europe (Wennström,
2019). Begging was only made legal in France in 1994 under three conditions: that it isn't done in
an aggressive way (and that includes not using a dangerous animal), that children aren't used to
beg and if it isn't affecting public order. In theory anyone guilty of breaching these rules can be
fined €38.
India
Begging is criminalized in cities such as Mumbai and Delhi as per the Bombay Prevention of
Begging Act, BPBA (1959).
Indian has over 4 lac beggars with West Bengal's 81,000 being the maximum among the states,
the government said. There are 4,13,670 beggars - 2.2 lac males and 1.91 lac females.

Denmark
Begging in Denmark is illegal under section 197 of the penal code. A large majority in the Danish
Parliament has voted for stricter laws against begging.
Anyone caught could face an immediate two-week period of imprisonment, with no necessity for
the police to give them a preliminary warning.
(A penal code is code of laws concerning crimes and offenses and their punishment)

Greece
Under article 407 of the Greek Penal Code, begging was punishable by up to 6 months in jail and
up to a 3000 euro fine. However, this law was repelled in October 2018, after protests from street
musicians in the city of Thessaloniki.

Hungary
Hungary has a nationwide ban. This may include stricter related laws in cities such as Budapest,
which also prohibits picking things from rubbish bins.

Japan
There are very few beggars in japan. Budhist monks appear in public when begging for alms.

References
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Azhar, M. (2013, June 1). BBC. Retrieved from BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22729351

H.Plecher. (2019, August 9). Statista. Retrieved from Statista:

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