Every fifth Norwegian municipality has imposed restrictions on begging. On the 15th of May, the municipality of Sola became the second municipality to impose a begging ban, after Lillesand, which introduced its ban in 2015. Ole Ueland, Sola’s mayor, said that aggressive begging had become a challenge.
Municipal reports show that in total, 83 municipalities have imposed restrictions on begging. Notification duty is the most common limitation.
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Six municipalities have introduced a notification obligation before anyone can beg within their boundaries. 68 municipalities have introduced the same restriction on collection of money.
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In most municipalities, you must report to the police before you begin to either beg, or raise money for other purposes.
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In Norway, begging was prohibited until 2006. In April 2014, Høyre (H), and Fremskrittspartiet (Frp) submitted a proposal to enable municipalities the opportunity to introduce local prohibitions.
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The proposal was adopted in 2015. NRK’s Brennpunkt documentary, ‘Lykkelandet’, reaffirmed the need to address the problem, showing that a begging milieu also involves prostitution, crime, and drug sales.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
