Study: Foreign Roma panhandlers earn about EUR 10 a day

Street patrol of Deaconess Institute interviewed nearly 200 foreign Roma

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In the middle of a thicket, a cabin has been built of plywood, and smoke is rising from the chimney.
      Although it is freezing outside, it is warm inside, thanks to a wood-burning stove. An electric cord stretched to the hut brings light. There are rugs on the floor, and a bed next to the wall.
      This is the Helsinki home of Scumpitsa Mandicà, Constantin Làcàtus, Isidor Làcàtus and Dumitru Brebenel.
      They are in Finland for the same reason as hundreds of others: begging and looking for work.
     
The group have been living in Finland for six months, which is a fairly typical time for the itinerant Roma who have come in recent years.
      They beg in the centre of Helsinki every day from nine to five. The daily yield varies between EUR 10 and EUR 15.
      This is seen as a fairly typical return, according to Tuomo Leinonen and Marjatta Vesalainen.
      Thanks to Leinonen and Vesalainen, much more is known about the beggars circulating in the centre of the city than before. The two, who are part of a joint project by the City of Helsinki and the Deaconess Institute, have interviewed nearly 200 vagrants in Helsinki.
      Most of the beggars in the centre of Helsinki are Romanian, but a few are from Bulgaria. Those who have been in Finland the longest are usually from the provinces of Bacau, Gorj, or Alba in Romania.
      The youngest of the vagabonds was just two years of age, and the oldest was a senior citizen. Most are men.
     
Almost without exception the gypsies, as they call themselves, have come to Finland hoping to get more money.
      Many come after hearing that Finland is a “rich state with generous residents”.
      Their knowledge of Finland is often limited to awareness that the country is located “abroad”. Some of the Romanians even thought that Finland was a monarchy.
      Misleading information is spread on the Internet, where there are websites in Romanian, on which Finland is described as a country with a desperate labour shortage and generous state aid.
     
Suspicions have been raised that the beggars might be part of a more organised effort. However, the team, which gathered its information between June and October, saw no indication of any organised activity.
      “I would not be so stupid...”, said one of the interviewees, “that I would beg all day and then give the money to someone else”.
      There were also no signs of coercion, although the women seem to be under the authority of the men. Roma culture does not allow prostitution.
     
The working group is most concerned about the welfare of the Roma children, whose education suffers from their parents’ constant absence, and from their moving around.
      The interviews in Helsinki were held with 196 Roma, 34 of whom were underage.
      Leinonen and Vesalainen feel that it is especially important that the vagrant Roma do not become a hot potato that is passed around by different countries.
      They feel that material assistance should be given to the beggars only after careful consideration.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Romanian beggars now spread across the country (28.4.2008)
  Helsinki to launch campaign to discourage giving money to beggars (19.3.2008)
  Police clear out Romanian beggarś camp in Helsinki (20.2.2008)
  Many Romanians eager to escape rural poverty (16.2.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat