Sweden eyes new anti-trafficking law to protect beggars

The Swedish government wants to introduce stricter anti-trafficking laws in an effort to combat the abuse of street beggars, Swedish Television reported on Wednesday.

Currently, beggars are not protected by human trafficking laws in Sweden, but under the proposal slated to be put forward by Sweden's minister for justice and migration, Morgan Johansson, as of next year, charging a beggar for using a public space will be a crime.

This is something that currently occurs in Sweden, where migrants from Eastern Europe are frequently seen begging on streets and on public transport networks.

Under the new proposal, it will also be illegal to charge large sums for transporting individuals to Sweden or for house and board, and then pressure those individuals into begging until they pay off their debt.

Speaking to Swedish Television, Johansson said it was hard to tell how common such abuse is in Sweden. "We have received information that this occurs and I think that is enough motivation to try to stop it through legislation," he said.

However, Johansson rejected an outright ban on begging. The opposition Moderate Party wants the government to give municipalities the option to ban begging at certain locations, like train and bus stations or outside supermarkets. The party also wants a ban on organized begging, though they stop short of suggesting an outright begging ban.

"We need to take control of the situation that has arisen in Sweden in recent times. One part of the problem is organized begging and the other part is that we are beginning to see places in our towns where there is constant begging," said the Moderate Party secretary Tomas Tobe. Endit