The city of Mohammedia is confronted with a serious problem that is taking on worrying proportions and risks tarnishing its image. It is the scourge of begging, today very visible in the seaside city and part of the scenery. The proliferation of beggars in front of shops, banks, mosques, on buses, at the intersection of major axes, markets, red lights, etc., informs us as well as possible about the increasingly significant number of those who live below the poverty line in the prefecture of Mohammedia. Rural exodus, unemployment, and the proximity of Mohammedia to numerous rural communes have engendered this phenomenon.

A simple trip through the city allows one, for sure, to see this state of affairs with one's own eyes: beggars are increasingly numerous, begging no longer shocks, the inhabitants have become accustomed to it.

Most of the people who give alms are illiterate, with women representing a higher percentage than men. Nevertheless, what is most worrying are the professional beggars, the use of children and infants for begging, etc. Despite several steps and contacts, no figure has been communicated to us by the concerned services on the real number of beggars, their origin, or a possible program to fight against begging.

The difficulty of access to information continues to pose itself with acuity in Mohammedia, without apparent reason. Be that as it may, begging is an offense; article 327 of the Penal Code is clear: "any beggar, even if disabled or devoid of resources, soliciting charity is punished by imprisonment of 3 months to 1 year."

In 2007, 1,390 beggars were arrested in Mohammedia, 18 were presented to justice, and 1,290 were entrusted to the Tit Mellil charitable center. Since then, the number of beggars has increased, and Sub-Saharans have been added to them. The problems have worsened, notably after the closure in 2005 of the social complex of Mohammedia, better known under the name of the Muslim Charitable Association.

This social structure housed 3,500 people and had a pavilion reserved for the elderly and the needy.

Forgotten by society, the needy have elevated begging to the rank of a profession. "It is all the same strange that Mohammedia has not yet carried out actions, nor signed partnership agreements relating to the implementation of a program aimed at strengthening the capacities of local associations working in the field of fighting against begging," wonders this social actor.

What strategy for social insertion?

The concerned services of the city of Mohammedia are called upon to put in place a strategy to fight against begging which must take into account a certain number of constraints. Efforts must be concentrated on social integration, as well as on the development of concrete and integrated projects based on a census of the most fragile populations. Priority social categories must be identified.

It is also appropriate to diagnose the situation of beggars, disabled people without resources, children in difficult situations, people suffering from psychiatric illnesses without a home, women in precarious situations, abandoned children, vagrants, and the elderly. Parallel to this effort, one must think about putting in place the necessary mechanisms for their integration, creating reception centers for this category of people, as well as developing and financing income-generating activities for beggars within the framework of the INDH. The essential thing is to manage to take care of these people and ensure their integration.