Beggars in Paris?

The only beggar I saw last fall was outside of Notre Dame. She would beg for a few minutes, stop to check her cell, then begin begging again.

"female beggars kneeling face down on the sidewalk"? Odd.
I've been on 2 week visits to the city 3 times in the last 12 months and I didn't see that once, I've also never seen it mentioned on any travel forums.
Are there panhandlers/beggars? Yes and quite a lot of them also, more prevalent in the areas where tourists abound.
Families, women with children, older children alone, some set up sleeping accommodations on the street, men, women, some with dogs or cats, people who walk while panhandling, a guy that had a cup on a fishing line and as you were walking by - put it in front of your face (not me, but it cracked me up) but no females kneeling face down on the sidewalk.
I haven't seen a survey taker yet, the most aggressive people were the guys selling stuff around the Eiffel Tower.

We saw a tiny woman beggar on her knees on the Chain Bridge in Budapest last fall, and we would swear it was the same one we saw there in 2011, pretty sure it was the exact same spot. Presumably Roma, not the only one we saw.

I'm in Paris. Passed one of those women on the Metro entrance last night. Overall there is a lot of homelessness and that results in begging.

Of course I've seen beggars kneeling face down over the course of several years. Don't know how anybody could not see that.

My experience last Fall was the same as Nance's. There were several women who would kneel then bow facedown along both sides of the queue to get in to Notre Dame, holding out a paper cup for money.

Saw the petition girls at both Eiffel Tower and Gare du Nord and try not to make eye contact with them. They were also working the line in to Notre Dame and I was so shocked at how many people actually responded to them. Good Grief.

Not trying to argue details but, to me, kneeling then bowing and kneeling face down are 2 different things.
The latter suggests an almost prostrate form, face on the ground position - still haven't seen that but I'll keep an eye out (not really).
Eh, some people sit on their knees aka kneel, sit on crates or the sidewalk or a mattress or a piece of cardboard... what difference does it make?
The fact is that there are a lot of panhandlers/beggars of all types in Paris and you can either ignore them or indulge them but they're not going away.

I've seen that type of beggar in numerous cities in Europe. They're typically kneeling and rest their head on the sidewalk, almost as if they were sleeping. There's always a hat or something else in front of them to collect "donations", and sometimes a crudely printed sign detailing their misfortunes.

I haven't encountered the "poll takers" on the last few trips, but I'm sure I'll have to contend with them again at some point. They typically start by asking if I speak English, and I usually respond by telling them "I'm not interested" and then just walk away. I never seem to be bothered by the peddlers selling flowers, either on the streets or when they walk through restaurants - go figure!

When I lived in Paris we would always say that these women were praying to the McFlurry gods as there was always a McDonalds cup in front of them. There's always a few on the Champs-Elysees. Such a shame to have these people marring people's lovely experiences.

These women are being watched by their handlers, and may be punished for not bringing in their daily quota or breaking some other rule. That's why they are forced to assume this humiliating position. Their lives are not easy, not by a long shot.

Yes, I saw female beggars face down on the Champs Elysee and in front of Notre Dame. I was approached by women with "petitions" also on the Champs Elysee and in the gardens at Versailles. I don't sign petitions here, so paid them no attention as they approached.

Bravo chexbres. Very true.

I have seen women prostrate on the ground (in what is called child's pose in yoga) in front of the Louis Vuitton store and other expensive shops along the Champs Elysees. The first time that I saw them was in 2010 and I was shocked because I did not expect to see that in Paris. I have seen them in other places in Paris since but the most consistently on the Champs Elysees. My guess is that the beggars and their handlers think that people shopping at the high-end stores on the Champs Elysees are more likely to have some extra euros to give away. My husband says it because they are more likely to be guilted into handing over some cash after spending hundreds or thousands on bag. I've never seen anyone give the beggars anything.

If people don't leave any money outside those high-end stores, that kind of blows a hole in the theory, doesn't it?
There are not that many women assuming this position - in any neighborhood in Paris. Why? Because people are too embarrassed or weirded-out to give them money. It's punishment, pure and simple. When they go back home, these women are beaten if they don't "earn" any money - and the cycle continues until they are sold to another handler who will make sure she thoroughly understands her job - or becomes pregnant.

The petition girls, the gold ring guys - those are the ones who are hoping to keep one of you busy signing a petition while the others hope you won't notice if they pick your pockets. Along with the snatch-and-grab gadget thieves, these are the real money-makers.

I saw some "real" homeless in Paris last fall and some "not so real" homeless people. I don't know how to explain it but we could sense the realness in some of their eyes. We only gave to those who were in our eyes really homeless.....They seemed sweeter, not intrusive. There was one that had a mattress on the ground in the 7th.....We gave him a few euros every night. He never really left there. He seemed REAL...... there were some that we saw beg and then check their phones.....Ummmmm no.......There were some that aggressively made the rounds...We never felt comfortable giving them money.

We had 2 groups of women try the ring scam on us.....One near the RER Pont Alma station and one near the Bateaux Mouches across the seine one stop away from the Eiffel. I told them to get lost in French so they did not try too hard with us. We warned another couple of their scam a few minutes later and they left. We had petition girls at Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame but they kept away since it was just after the attacks so they were on the side streets not near the swarm of cops in front of Notre Dame. We kept a vigilant eye open for any pickpockets at the Louvre but saw none. One lady was definitely sizing us up on the funicular near Sacre Coeur but I looked eye with her and refused to let her walk behind us when we got off. She knew I knew what she was and stomped away in a huff.

We were in Paris for 10 nights (3 last days were just after the attacks) but never felt any of this was a big deal as we were prepared from all my research on this site. It helped that we were there in early November and the crowds were very light. We never made it up the Eiffel because it was closed for the attacks. An excuse to go back I guess.

A few years ago someone tried the ring scam on me. This woman should get an award for "worst acting by a scam artist". She started that "oh la la" act and I burst out laughing. (I turn LOUDLY announced "it's not a real gold ring folks".).

I think she cursed me out. I continued to giggle