- What Causes Beggars to Spread all over the Syrian North?

- The difficult humanitarian conditions in the southern countryside of Rural Idlib, forced Um Alaa, a woman with foot cut, to practice begging for long hours to search for a living for her nine children, the older of which is only 10 years old.

The phenomenon of begging is not new in the Syrian street, and it is not always related to the reality imposed by the conflict. However, Um Alaa has a special situation, she has taken begging as a way for living, because she has no one to assist her in life, in addition to disability that prevents her from practicing any job.

Umm Alaa says she has not received any humanitarian assistance from NGOs for more than six months in a row, and that her children have not been able to enter schools because of their poor financial status.

Poverty has increased since the beginning of the Syrian revolution as a result of the displacement from several areas in Syria, as well as the shelling and destruction of properties, factories and most of the infrastructure.

The Syrian worker's income in 2010 was about 160 US dollars per month and with the revolution began, the income started to decline until it reached 50$ in 2015, and is decreasing constantly while prices are floating according to human rights organizations.

The Director of a Civil Defense Center Khalid Al-Halabi said: "Cases of poverty and begging have become very common and this phenomenon is serious and will go viral if the authorities do not act to stop it."

Al-Halabi said that one reason for the spread of begging is "unemployment, the greed of main traders and their monopoly on food, high prices and most importantly war and displacement."

According to local organizations, in Idlib there are more than 200 women who are beggars and seventy-one children, with women between the ages of 20 and 40 and children between the ages of 5 to 10.

"After the displacement of the people of Aleppo to the north of Syria, and the increase in numbers of residents significantly, in light of the lack of employment opportunities and vacancies, all this was a logical reason for the spread of this phenomenon," said media activist Ismail al-Rej.

"Many children help their families to secure their livelihoods by selling juice, biscuits and paper towels in the city of Idlib and its countryside," he said.

One psychologist (who declined to be identified) said: "this Phenomenon, although if it is temporary, it contributes significantly to the psyche composition of children, and their behavior with the social community, and this must be curtailed before they crystallize in their behavior."

"If the charities would have helped mem I wouldn’t be needing to beg," a woman said after Qasioun spoke to a beggar who was standing in front of a mosque in the city of Idlib. "I went out begging for some money and buying food for her children after her husband was killed in one of the battles."

Question interviewed the psychological adviser «Bilal Hawa» "begging phenomenon is the most serious issue in communities, because it deprives the child of the most important rights, the natural family, and seats of school and playground, which is one of the most important components of the personality in children».

He added that most of the children begging are "out of control of the family, forcing them to learn street culture, the worst places that negatively affect their personality, family and society, to develop and be a person against the law, according to international studies, and is evidence of Social and governmental imbalance."

"All the studies confirm that there is a direct correlation between begging and the spread of crime in society, as a result of the child's negative reaction, which results in catastrophic consequences," he said.

And to treatment to this phenomenon according to the consultant: «Collective community efforts, and return to schools and provide jobs for the people to carry out their duties to children and secure income for them even if simple, but would help the family».

Bilal Hawa said that they contributed to fight this phenomenon in the Turkish territory during his tenure in the interim government, noting that "they took the children out of the street and placed them in schools near borders and deprived the parents of them after two consecutive warnings, in addition to securing all the supplies through specialized teachers, and we have found great positive effects ».

In a final statement, the psychologist pointed out that "some children regard this phenomenon as a profession." His work is considered to be responsible for the family, but he feels he is completely disenfranchised for depriving him of his childhood.

One of the most important weapons that will destroy this phenomenon according to the consultant is the establishment of: «Seminars and awareness sessions for parents, to realize the size of the danger of this issue».

Local councils in the city are trying to reduce the phenomenon of begging by placing children in special schools, pay monthly salaries to them, and take women to educational institutes such as sewing and nursing institutes and various institutes so that they can work and make money and leave begging.