By Madhumitha K S
Introduction: “Poverty- a social evil”
According to the Oxford dictionary, poverty is the state of being extremely poor. In simple words, it is the state of being inferior in quality/ insufficient in amount. Poverty is the condition of not having enough material possessions or income for a person's needs. When a person lacks monetary essentials for a basic standard of living, he/she is called poor. Poverty-stricken families live without adequate shelter, clean water, healthy food and medical attention. Every nation has its own threshold that determines how many of its people are living in poverty. The first criterion to determine poverty includes people on the verge of starvation or death; the second extends to people whose nutrition, housing, and clothing is inadequate. Poverty is associated with poor health, low levels of education, unwillingness to work, uncivilized behaviour. Several types of poverty are distinguished depending on factors as time, duration or distribution. Absolute poverty is the complete lack of the means necessary to meet basic personal needs while relative poverty occurs when a person cannot meet a minimum level of living standards. Poverty can be characterised by lack of security, limited capabilities, physical limitations, hazardous livelihoods, weak community organizations and ultimately discrimination.
Present Scenario
“There is enough in the world for everyone's need, but not for everyone's greed.” — Frank Buchman
Global poverty has become a deadly crisis today even though the world has become a ‘global village’. Widespread poverty has been accepted as inevitable. It is estimated that the total output of goods and services, even if equally distributed, will still be insufficient to give the entire population a comfortable standard of living. The world has been engaging itself in a battle against poverty. Though several measures are being taken by organisations to help people survive poverty, the present scenario is indeed deplorable. Poverty can be called the biggest contributor to various social issues such as hunger, violence and death. There are many social evils that have been preventing the poor from receiving adequate help from stable resources. The cycle of poverty is vicious. Families who are trapped in the cycle of poverty have very limited resources or no resources at all. Indigent individuals do not have access to economic and social resources as a result of extreme poverty. This means that the poor will continue to remain poor throughout their lives. Lives of the poor keep revolving among one of the many struggles to live. People experience difficulty escaping poverty because many things such as education, child care, transportation, medical facilities are denied to them. There are more than thousands of countries that are struck by poverty.
Key Issues and Challenges
“Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.” — Aristotle
The increase in poverty runs parallel sides with unemployment, hunger, and higher crime rate. Poverty has posed multiple challenges to mankind.
Mortality/ Impact on health and hunger
One third of deaths around the world occur due to poverty-related causes. Poor people living in developing nations suffer disproportionately from hunger/starvation leading to lower life expectancy. Malnutrition is considered to be the biggest contributor to child mortality. Infectious diseases continue to scar the lives of the poor due to the lack of health care and non-optimal conditions. Rises in the costs of living make poor people unable to afford items as they are vulnerable to hike in food prices.
Shortage of utilities
There is a high risk of educational underachievement for children from poor households. Schools in poverty-stricken areas have conditions that hinder children from learning in a safe environment. Poverty increases the risk of homelessness. Slum-dwellers, who make up a third of the world's urban population, are impoverished. A billion people lack access to elemental sanitation services leading to death as a consequence. The poorest receive minimum of the world's lighting and electric services. Poor people also suffer due to the lack of availability of utilities such as food, water, medication and shelter necessary for survival.
Violence and Discrimination
Poor people often become victims of violence and discrimination. Cultural factors encourage gender discrimination, racial discrimination, and caste discrimination. Due to insufficient living aids, poor people tend to engage in violence in order to fulfil their basic needs. Discrimination can make it more difficult for people to access government programs and resources for help.
Illiteracy
A major percentage of the poor and needy are illiterate. This creates a lack of awareness among the people. The poor do not have any knowledge of their condition.
Solutions and Suggestions
“I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the solutions they will be moved to act.” — Bill Gates
Governments and non-governmental organizations are constantly trying to alleviate poverty. However, providing basic needs to people can be hampered by constraints on government's ability by corruption, tax avoidance and so on. Some solutions that can be implemented towards the alleviation of poverty:
Providing education
People below the poverty line can be provided education free of cost. This will encourage them to become financially independent thus rescuing them from poverty.
Increasing supply of necessary goods
Agricultural technologies and new irrigation methods have dramatically reduced food shortages in modern times by boosting yields past previous constraints. Even with new products the poor still require access to these products.
Controlling overpopulation
Overpopulation and lack of access to birth control can lead to population increase. This in turn results in exceed of food production and other resources. Better awareness must be created to reduce population growth through family planning.
Income grants and stability in prices
A guaranteed minimum income may ensure that every citizen will be able to purchase a desired level of basic needs. Such grants will periodically provide each poor citizen a sum of money that is required to live. Stable prices have to be maintained for the poor to purchase goods.
Creation of organisations
The Governments of every country can encourage the formation of organisations, unions and co-operations in order to help can be obtained from local and federal unions. Relying on the help of a specific individual will not help to bring out an effective change.
Empowering women and supporting equal pay
The empowerment of women along with men will bring out a better change in the society. Though many women are independent, still many have to be brought out of their homes for better exposure. Encouraging equal pay for all genders will help amplify national income.
Conclusion
“Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings”. - Nelson Mandela
Poverty is a burning issue that has to be addressed immediately to avoid loss of lives. The growth of a nation is the responsibility of every individual. Such poverty hinders the growth of an individual thereby affecting the development of a nation. Thus, poverty must be eradicated in order to ensure the progress of every individual. It is everyone’s duty to take steps against the annihilation of poverty. Taking necessary steps to develop health and education sectors in poverty struck countries is a good way to reduce poverty. People who come forward to provide facilities to the poor must also be recognised and deeply appreciated. With combined efforts of the people, associations and governments, poverty can be alleviated.
By Madhumitha K S