Begging changes face in Spain: from the 'colgao' to the minimum income

Begging changes face: from the 'colgao' to the minimum income

When was the last time someone stopped you in the street to ask for money? The answer is no longer so simple. The classic corner beggar, the old-school 'colgao', is disappearing from Spain's urban landscape, and the debate over what has replaced him has ignited in everyday conversations. Some see the hand of the welfare state, others suspect a silent emigration, and some simply admit they no longer visit the neighbourhoods where begging used to be concentrated.

The IMV as a substitute for the beggar

One of the most repeated theories is that the disappearance of the classic panhandler coincides with the arrival of the Ingreso Mínimo Vital (Spain's minimum living income benefit). There is no longer any need to hold out a hand on the pavement: people go to social services to apply for the benefit, or a 'paguita', as it is colloquially called. The thesis is simple: when the state provides a safety net, visible begging declines. What is unknown is whether the safety net reaches everyone who used to beg.

From the run-down neighbourhood to posh girls

Others point out that begging has not disappeared, but has changed its profile and location. "I don't go through run-down areas," notes one observer, implying that classic beggars are hardly seen in well-off neighbourhoods. But even in the most unexpected settings the new face appears: two 12-year-old girls, looking middle-to-upper class, asking for 1.50 euros for the bus. Not the old drunk, but the hand is still outstretched.

The underlying question hides a joke with substance: the 'colgao' has been replaced by more bureaucratic or more invisible versions. Blaming the government of the day for the miraculous disappearance is a political conclusion not backed by data, but public perception, the kind told at bar counters, has already taken sides.