Poverty in the developing countries: The most pressing human rights issue…
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Mahatma Gandhi had stated that “poverty is the worst form of violence” a phenomenon that mainly plagues the population in the developing countries. Poverty is a key factor for issues such as human rights, sustainable development, social cohesion and environmental protection.
This phenomenon concerns the international community from 1945 and United Nations had taken initiatives to eliminate this issue by setting the Millennium Development Goals in 2000 and the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. Both had as first Goal the fight against poverty, with the former having priority in the developing South and the latter having a universal approach.
The World Bank in October 2015 updated the international poverty line by increasing the threshold from 1,25 $ to $ 1.9/day, so those below this threshold are plagued by extreme poverty. Of course, a thorny issue is that there is no exact definition of what a poor person is, as this concept goes beyond the income perspective, given that poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon. Services such as access to clean water, sanitation and education are not directly related to the monetary approach but should be taken into account in the fight against poverty, particularly at international level. For this reason, through the Sustainable Development Goal 1 UN aims to end the poverty in all its manifestations by 2030.
Poverty: The situation so far
The total world population is 7.4 billion, while in 2050 it is estimated to reach 9.7 billion. This dramatic growth will happen in particular in the developing countries. The largest population growth will be in Africa, about 1.3 billion, while South Asia will grow by 750 million. These areas also face the biggest poverty problem, so demographic increase may deteriorate the current situation.
- According to the latest figures from the Millennium Development Goals, the number of the poor individuals is about 10% of the world’s population approximately 767 million, from 1.6 billion in 2000. The majority of the poor live in Sub-Saharan Africa with 390 million, ie 40% of its population, but also in South Asia with 256 million. The greatest progress has been made in East Asia, which, due to China’s economic growth, has reduced its share of 61% to just 4% of the population.
Most of the poor individuals live in rural areas, almost 80%, while 64% are employed in the agricultural sector. It is perceived that their income is directly dependent on the weather conditions and is strongly affected by floods and droughts, making them particularly vulnerable.
- Additionally, child poverty is particularly important, as 385m children under 18 years old are afflicted from poverty. In Sub-Saharan Africa 51% of children are plagued by this phenomenon, while in South Asia 36%. The repercussion of this is that these children become more vulnerable to illnesses, develop a low cognitive level and are difficult to overcome this situation. That is why international community should pay special attention to eradicate this phenomenon.
Health, Education, Living Standards key issues for poverty
In order poverty to be tackled effectively, beyond the income dimension it is necessary to look at other key areas that are related to people’s daily life. Health, education and living standards are crucial variables of the multidimensional approach to this phenomenon.
- Initially, in the case of health, the main issues are nutrition and child mortality. In 2015 815m people were identified as malnourished the 780m of them live in the developing countries. The repercussions of malnutrition are evident in children with growth stagnation, more than 160 million children experience this problem. Moreover, child mortality rates for children up to 5 years of age are also high. A total of 43 deaths are reported in 1,000 births, with Sub-Saharan Africa having a double number, 88. Child mortality is one of the most serious troubles and perhaps the worst consequence of poverty.
Moreover, education plays a fundamental role in the fight against poverty, as one of the most significant factors of human development. Despite the relative improvement, 57m of children remain out of school, while inequalities are observed between children coming from poor or wealthier families, as the former are 4 times more likely to be out of education. A similar situation exists between rural and urban areas, as 16% of rural areas are not in schooling compared to 8% of urban ones.
Another factor which should be taken into account is the standard of living which includes various indicators such as access to sanitation, clean drinking water and electricity. These three categories, although they are taken for granted in the developed countries, are not part of the everyday life of a wide range of people.
- In particular, 1.2 billion people do not have access to electricity, which is a necessary element of daily life and a cornerstone of economic growth and 620 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is perceived that basic activities such as washing or studying are impeded.
Finally, clean drinking water and sanitation constitute a vital part of people’s life. Access to clean drinking water is particularly important as contaminated water is easy to transmit diseases such as cholera, diarrhea while exposing people to health hazards. In 2015, it is estimated that 663 million people worldwide use impaired water sources such as insecure wells and water from the surface of the land. As far as sanitation is concerned, 2.1 billion people have gained improved access between 1990 and 2015. The overall rate has changed from 54% to 68%. The greatest improvement occurred in South Asia, where from 22% it reached 47%.
The roots of poverty
- The consolidation of poverty in the developing countries is not the result of recent processes but has its roots between the 15th and 19th centuries and the period of colonialism. Trafficking and exploitation by the metropolises prevented development in these areas, especially at a time when Europe and the USA were experiencing the Industrial Revolution.
Beyond this, another variable to be mentioned is that after the decolonization in the 1960s, they had closed political and economic institutions. The prevalence of closed institutions did not favor the control of political power but also the diffusion of economic activity, as there was an accumulation of wealth in the elite. Specifically, in the period 1965–1991 33 sub-Saharan African states had totalitarian regimes, while dictatorships or one-party governments emerged in South Asia and Latin America.
What is expected?
The ongoing Sustainable Development Goals aim to eradicate poverty in all its dimensions by 2030, a very ambitious goal. This requires concerted action at both international and national level. Despite the relative improvement recorded in the developing countries, progress is still needed for positive results. Apart from the monetary approach of poverty emphasis should be also paid to other dimensions. Basic services that, in the developed countries, are taken for granted, for much of the developing world are not accessible or of the same quality.
- Through the universal approach of SDG 1 “End poverty in all its forms everywhere” the opportunity of an even greater reduction of the poor by 2030 is likely to happen, or to achieve the greatest possible result. Beyond the efforts of the international community, it is everyone’s responsibility to study and implement individually the Sustainable Development Goals, especially on poverty eradication, to make a global contribution to this endeavor.
* George Koulouris- Political Scientist based in Athens, working as Consultant/Communication Assistant at a management & consulting firm. His interests focus on social inclusion, education, employment, minority and human rights. He holds a degree in International & European studies from University of Piraeus and a Master of Arts on Sustainable Development
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