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The homeless deserve more than money

By Meng Jing (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-29 09:54

Ask how many homeless cats are in Beijing and you will get an answer of between 500,000 and 5 million. But ask how many homeless people there are in Beijing and it seems the only answer is "we don't know".

I attended a seminar on saving stray cats in Beijing months ago along with people from 50 NGOs and experts in this field. They all showed their concerns. But when it comes to homeless people, I cannot find anywhere near the same number of NGOs or volunteer organizations in Beijing.

I am working on a story about the number of beggars and homeless people in Beijing and I am finding this lack of statistics rather frustrating. I called several officials but all said they don't have an answer, not even a rough guess.

Asked why they don't have the number of homeless people in Beijing, the authorities answered: "They are the floating population. It's too difficult for us to find out that number."

I believe almost everyone has run into homeless people or beggars in Beijing. It's not difficult to find them, especially in underground passages, pedestrian overpasses and subways. And I also believe most people give nothing to them other than some money.

The homeless deserve more than money

To be honest, I was one of those people. When I had change and felt like giving money, I gave. When I didn't, I passed them quickly, never looking into their eyes.

Everything changed though when I became a journalist. I started to talk to them and listened to their stories. However, when I talked to them, I could feel the look of other passers-by. It's a look that says: "Is that woman insane? What's wrong with her?"

Beggars and the homeless are also the children of others. They might be someone's parents, or they could be someone's love. They deserve our care and also our attention, not just a few coins.