MoSA bent on ‘battling’ social media e-beggary

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KUWAIT CITY, Jan 24: The Charity Societies Department in the Ministry of Social Affairs has completed the controls and requirements for collecting donations during Ramadan, and submitted the documents to the Undersecretary of the department for approval, reports Al-Jarida daily. The daily quoting reliable Charity Societies Department said a ‘tight plan’ has been developed to address the phenomenon of requesting donations and collecting funds through various social media platforms, or what has come to be known lately as “electronic begging”, over the past two years following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to reliable sources, the relevant department in the Ministry of Social Affairs has received several complaints and inquiries from citizens and residents regarding individuals and social media accounts through asking for money and inviting others to help in the activity, away from the knowledge of the state, and without obtaining approvals from the concerned authorities.

The sources stressed a big group of these (individuals and accounts) are referred to the Public Prosecution and the Ministry of Interior, to take legal action against them, for violating laws, decisions, controls and requirements regulating fundraising, especially Law No. 59 of 1959, which regulates funds collection for public benefit.

The sources indicated some individuals have taken the advantage of pandemic time and its wide repercussions and effects on several segments of society by requesting to collect funds, by calling for the establishment of charity projects or directing them to the needy families, taking advantage of the nature of the Kuwaiti society and its love to help the needy.

In this regard the department has called upon donors – citizens and residents – to be careful when donating money and not to be fooled by unscrupulous elements but to give only to the well-known institutions for fear these funds may fall into the hands of those who misuse them, which may distort Kuwaiti charity work. The sources confirmed that the inspection team is constantly monitoring the social media sites – Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook – to follow up on and monitor calls from unlicensed parties calling for donations to take necessary measures.

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