Begging

Begging, known in North America as panhandling, is the practice of imploring others to grant a favor, often a gift of money, with little or no expectation of reciprocation; a person who does this is called a beggar or panhandler. Beggars commonly operate in public spaces such as transport routes, parks and markets, asking passersby for money, food, drink, cigarettes or other items. The practice is illegal or criminalized in numerous jurisdictions worldwide, including Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Denmark, Hungary, India, Japan, Lithuania, Nepal, the Philippines, Poland, Qatar and Romania, and Greece criminalized the practice until decriminalizing it in 2018, with many other countries instead restricting only aggressive panhandling. In the internet era the term has extended to online begging, the modern practice of asking people over the internet to give money for basic needs or discretionary wants rather than in person.