Sitting, back to the wall, head pitifully tilted to the left, a child of less than fifteen months sleeping innocently in her arms, Tina, 27, holds out her hand. A gesture she accompanies with small begging words. "Sir, Sir," she calls out, not without jingling some coins. Just to attract the attention of passers-by. This is the daily life of this mother who must beg to survive. Present in this corridor of Boulevard Mohammed V, always battered by the winds and invaded by the deafening noise of car horns, this native of Nigeria explains to us, in a calm and desperate tone, that she has been on the scene since 2008. "I left my country to come here because I could no longer stay by my parents' side and see them suffer from famine without doing anything. I preferred to emigrate to earn my living," she confides to us with a barely audible voice.
Tina is married. Her husband is currently in El-Jadida and does the same thing as her: begging. To the question: how much do you get on average per day? Tina, reluctant at first, agrees to answer us: "I receive a daily sum of about 90 to 100 DH. Which does not represent much compared to the family expenses, which are numerous." On the other side of the alley, just a few metres from the tram stop located at the entrance to the Medina market, another woman, in her thirties, agrees to share her situation with us. Married and mother of five children, this woman who preferred to remain anonymous confides that she earns 50 to 60 DH per day. A former cleaning lady, she left this job to devote herself to begging.
Children oblige! The month of Ramadan is a favourable period for begging. "During this period, people become more generous and give more," she indicates. Still in this same atmosphere of Bab El Had, this time at the entrance to the "Souika", is Imane with her two little girls, hair poorly combed and clothes damaged. She does not agree to talk to us at first. "Every time, people come to question us and promise to improve our situation. Just words!" After a moment, she calms down and spontaneously begins to tell her misfortune, so much it weighs on her heart. "I beg because I cannot find work. I have children to support and a husband suffering from cancer. He needs 1,500 DH for each chemotherapy session, not to mention the rent, which amounts to 600 DH per month," she confides to us. "It's simply impossible to manage!" she concludes in a desperate tone.
The situation of these beggar mothers does not leave people indifferent. Between pity, compassion, or indifference, passers-by express their solidarity with them. Bilal, 34, who says he works not far from there, confides to us: "I feel great pity for them. With children to feed, housing to pay for some, it's really hard." Even if Bilal cannot do much for them, he gives them, as soon as he can, "1, 2, or 3 DH." Sadly, he continues by saying "the State should help them."
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Ordeal or scam?
Generally, beggar women arouse sympathy and solidarity. But some passers-by feel contempt for them. "These ladies are just profiteers. They rent children and pass themselves off as poor mothers who have nothing to survive on, to arouse the pity and compassion of people. While in reality, they have a lot of money, live well, even better than many people who do not beg," a lady in her thirties throws at us, in a most severe tone: "I am not generalising, but they are very numerous all the same. So numerous and deceptive that it leaves us suspicious," she continues. Apparently, all pretexts are good to snatch a few coins from passers-by. Among all these beggar women, there are a good number of fake profiles. Women who, in reality, are rich and have all the means to lead a peaceful and decent life. Yet, they disguise themselves as beggars because it is an easy way to earn a living, far from the painful daily life of working days. So, the question is to know who is really poor and who is not? Answering it is not an easy task!
-* An income between 60 and 100 DH, according to the declarations of the beggar women.
-* The reactions of passers-by vary between compassion and contempt.
