Begging

Beggars
I’m not sure if any more people approached me for money in Indonesia then in New York City but there is a difference. In NYC or Boston most people asking for money are men with mental issues, substance abuse problems, or both. In Indonesia there are more children and severely handicapped people begging. I only make the comparison to indicate that our society, as rich as it is, fails to take care of a number of people and theirs, which has severe financial issues does as well. I met with a group of NGO leaders in Sumatra and there was a group who worked with women who had been beaten by their husbands. They asked about what happens to a woman in the US if they are poor and their husband is arrested (I mentioned the law requiring the police to detain a suspected abuser for a period of time) and they have no place to go. I thought about that for a while and answered that there were a lot of small, local, or state (or private) run groups to help but, in essence, in the U.S., like Indonesia, it is not a good spot to be in.