Poverty Lecture Notes

JCI Generol Poper 2009: Poverly Leclure Noles

A,

Some

fast fac*

{source: www.gtobotissLJes.org)

Alrnost holf the world over 3 billion people live on less thon $2.50 -o doy. The GDP (Gross Domesiic Produci) of the 4l Heovily lndebted Poor Counlries {567 miltion people) is less thon the v,eolih of ihe world's 7 richesl people combined. Neorly o billion people eniered jhe 2tsl century unoble lo reod o book or sign lheir nomes. Less lhon one per cenl of whoi the world spenl

I

i-

every yeor on weopons wos needed 10 pul every child inlo school by the yeor 2000 ond yet it did not hoppen. I billion children iive in poverly {l in 2 children in the world). 640 million live wiihoLrl odequoie

services. 10.6 rniliion died in 2003 before they reoched the oge oi 5 (or roughly 29,000 children per doy).

E. (oncepts Also exisls wilhin weollhy nolions such os USA where 32 million people, or l2% of ils populolion, llve below lhe povedy line.

dondord of living in o sociely ll vories from sociely 3d Worid U59250).lhe poverty Line resufts in the Nodh-South

The Poverty Line. This is the minimum

io society

(USA US$1,000,

Divi.le

Absolule poverty. A condilion in which o person is deemecl not lo permonenlly hove enough lo sotisfy bosic biologicol needs for food, woler, sheller ond clothing. people ore molnourished, diseose+idden, clre vulneroble lo nolurol ond mon mode disosters ond live in oppolling condilions. Relqlive poverly. A condilion ln which o person is deemecl not lo hove enough lo leocl o full life compored wiih olher people in lhe communily. people live in conceniroled colleclive poverly in cily slums, with peeling point ond inodequoie heoling.

o trop, which leods io o culiure of poverly. poor home conditions....low educolion....poor jobs....eorly mordoge....lorge fomily....poor

The Poverty Cycle. lt is o vicious cycle,

home....

The Shorl-term Poor. They move out of poverty wiihin o few monihs, o yecrr, or few yeors, The long-term Poor. Poverty losls

generoiions. Only oclulls.

I

ol mosl o

ol leosi B yeo6. Very few people poss povedy ocross persons in 5 who ore poor os children ore slill poor when ihey ore

C. A" Closer fooLat (Poverty

i. Couses of Poverly

Theory of lnnote lnferiority .t"i-t o reloiionship between

ihe lock of success job (preslige oi ond eornings) ond ihe lock of intelligence ond chorocier. 11 orgues thot ihe poor ore in ihot condilion becouse lhey do nol meosure up to ihe more well lo do in inlellecluol endowmenl ond morollibre. (This theory hos, however, lorgely been rqecled by

The

sociol scieniists)

Theofo of Culturol lnferiority

ctoims lnoi the poor hove diftereni volue syslems ond lifesiyles from lhe resl ol sociely ond lhol these cullurol differences exploin continued poverly. such cullure resulh lrom oclopiing lo lhe condilions ol poverly. Hence, lhe poor ore soid io hove o presenl-time orienioiion rolher thon fulure+ime orienlolion, which therefore mokes them less opl lo defer grolificolion, less likely lo be inleresled in fonnol educolion,

rne

more fololislic ond unwiling

lo

seek opporiuniiies ond more resisloni iowords loking

responsibilily for iheir own economic well-being.

tn recenl yeors, cUltUrol explonotions seem lo hove mode o comebock. The l9B5 book Underdeve/opment Is o slole of Mind hos recenlly been reissued, which cloims lhol Lolin Americon poverly is coused by Colholic volues inheiied by Lotin Americon counlries. Politicol scienlist Somuel Hunlingion colloboroied with Horrison on on ediled volume colled Cullore Mofters: How Voloes Shope Humon Progress. Al ihe some iime, lhe World Bonk begon lo pick up the lheme of cullurol explonolions, pulling milions of dolors inlo new reseorch ond conferences on lhe subjecl, ond funding projecls in poor counlries mode 1o chonge culllrrol volues.

Sociologisi Mox weber wos lhe firsl fo suggesl ihol it wos cullurol volues thol offect how economicolly successful o person would be. ln his Ihe Proleslonl Ethic ond the Spiil of Copifolism, he orgues thot lhe Proleslont Reformolion led 10 volues lhoi drove people loword worldly ochievements, o hord wo* ethic, ond soving lo occumulole weolih. Oihers exponded on weber's ideos, producing modernizolion lheory ond putling forword o process thol oll notions should follow to become odvonced induslriol notions. They believed thot to redJLe poverly. volue\ ono olliludes murt be chonqed.

Experts otso highttght

Structurol Theories thoi point the finsers or lnstitutionol

Discriminolion, which occurs when the cuslomory woys of doing ihings, prevoiing oliilucies ond expeclolions, ond occepled slruciurol crrTongemenls work io the disodvontoge of the poor, ior povedy. For one, l-flo51 good jobs feqUife highef

poor connol offord to send their children to college, which therefore meons thoi they CoFthol goin occess to lhe very some jobs. There courd otso oe limited opporlunities in life for rociol educoiion.

bur rhe

minOfities, who mcy foce discriminoiion in lerms of emptoymeni, Ond WOmen, who moy be disodvantoged by lheir very troditionol role os coreqiver ond nuriuTeT.

Uglqylig s ethnic lndion communily stoged ils biggesl onli-governmenl sireet proteti on Sundoy when more thon 10,000 proteslers defied ieor gos oncl woter connon lo voice complainls of rociol discdminolion. Mony prolesiers complo ned of o lock of educolionol ond business opporlunilies, so/ng o governmenl ofiirmolive-oclion policy in fovor of mojorily eihnic Mcrlqys hod morginolized them. Opposilion groups soy lhe mosi severe coses of poverly exisl omong lndions. Broughl over os indenlured lobor from the lote lB00s by coloniol ruler Briioin, lndions worked Moloyos rubber esioles. These esioies were lclter broken up, forcing mony unskilled lndion workers inlo poveriy in lhe ciiy. fl I Nov 07, Ihe Siroits limes,l

lhe producj of cleindustrio izoiion. As ihe LJ.S. shifls from o monufoclurjng, induslriol socieiy io o service-orienl--d, high tech society, mony of the b ue, col crrjobs lhoi requirecl ljlile edLJcolion bul poid well ore disoppeoring or beinq oulsourcedSome cloim

lhoi poverty

is olso

Even tomilies with hvo working porenls ore oflen one slice of bod luck , o medicol bili or 'oclorv clo\L A owoy 'ro'n di,osle'. The mini.nu.n wooe ol $5.15(!2.95) on l^our ho1 nor ri(en since 1997 ond, odjr.rsled for inflolion, is ol iis lowest since 1956. The qop between ihe hoves oncl lho hove nor5 looms wder rhon e!e.. Mony believe i is -he chorgi.rg fo.e o' lhe U_! economy. Tulso hos been devosloled by job iosses. Big-nome firms like Wo;dCom, Willioms Energy ond Citco hove closecl or moved, costing the cily oboul 24,000 jobs. Now Wol,Mod embodies lhe new Americon job morkef: low woges, few beneflls.

WelLpoid work onLy goes lo lhe universily educoled. Mony others who just compleie high schoolfoce o bleok future. ln Texos more lhon o third of studenls enle ng public high schools now clrop oul. These people ore enlering lhe frogile world of the working poor, where eoch doy is o mere step owoy from trogedy, I l9 Februory 2006, The ObseNer)

WOffofe

diverts scorce resources io moinloining mililory insleod of fighling poverly. lt olso couses moleriol ond humon desiruciion, brinqinq oboui moior developmeniol problem. From i 990 to 1993, lhe period encompossing Deserl Slorm, per copilo GDP in Lqq fell from $3500 10 $761. The drop in overoge income, while o slriking represenlolion of the drop in ihe well-being of ihe overoge lroqi citizen in the oflerrnoih of the wor, foils lo copiure lhe brooder offecls of domoges to lhe infroslruclure ond sociol services, sLrch os heollh core oncl occess lo cleon woler-

Anolher exomple is the wor between Ethiopio ond Eriheo from 1999 to 2000 over lheir borders. During this period bolh couniries foced severe food shorloges due 10 droughl yet scorce resources were being spent on fighting.

Noturol disosters,

such os droughls, flooding, hurricones ond eodhquokes hove clevosloled comrnunities due lo lhe cleslruciion of consiruclions ond inlrosiruclure. Environmenlol forces ofien couse ocuie periods of crisis by desiroying crops oncl onimols. Droughl, exocerboled by ihe 2004 desed locusl invosion, led lo o poor horvesl. This, combinecl with on economic crisis ond shorply higher food prices, hos brolrghl ldgg!'s olreody impoverished populolion lo crilicol levels of food insecurily, wilh on estimoled 2.5 million people, including obout 800000 children, ol r5k of food shorioge. Severe child molnulrilion, which okeody offecls oround 150 000 children, is ropidly on ihe rise. (Food ond Agriculfurol Otganisofion of lhe United Nolions/ The Februory 2000 floods in Mozombioue, poris oi gqE]!g!g, South Africo ond zimbobwe deslroyed the livelihoods of over o million people, leoving lhem wilh no food or shelier ond olher essenliol inf rostruciure.

Climote chonge in the form of globolworming hos coused mony chonges oround lhe world. Temperolures orouncl the wo d hove gone up, cousing iormers to experience less roin, ihus resulting in lesser horvesi. Woler leves in lhe oceons ore rlsing 1oo ond some couniries ore becoming more prone 1o llooding. Climole chonge primoily offecis the livelihoods of people lhoi depend on lhe nolurol envkonmenl which, in Africo, meons neorly everyone. The pooresl regions ond people sLrfler lhe mosl, becouse they rely on noiurol resources lo meel ihek bosic needs. They olso hove lhe leosl resources lo deol wilh lhe elfecls of their chonging environmenl. The impoci of climole chonge will foll disproportionotely upon developing counlries ond ihe poor persons wilhin ol counlries, lhereby exocerboling inequities ln heollh slolus ond occess io odequote foocl, cleon woler ond olher resources. A direct efiecl of climoie chonge will be on increose in lemperolure re oled illnesses oncl deolhs. Extended inlense heot woves combined with humidity moy increose deolh ond diseose roies, especiolly omong the eldefly ond in city slums. Another effecl will be increosed deolh oncl injury from exlreme weolher evenls such os flooding, lonclslides, ond slorms. Chonges in temperoiure ond roinfoll moy olso chonge ihe geogrophic ronge ot diseoses such os molorio ond dengue fever. ln Jonuory 2006, the Fomine Eody Worning Syslems Neiwork reporled lhot in (C!yq, the iood shorloge problem ocross lhe counlry wos olorming ond would probobly gel worse. Lock of roin or floodinq resulls in foiled crops, ond poor weother conditions ore becoming more requlor ond prolo in thi5 port ot Africo.

Coffuption

clireclly oflecls poverty crncl rnequcl ily when leoders help lhemselves lo money lhoi would olherwise be usecj for development projecls. The unJoir disiribulion oi income ond inefficienl use of resources in iurn breeds clisconteni ond instobility omong the people. Corrupiion crffecls lhe pooresi ihe mosl, whelher in rich or poor notions, oncl is often occomponied by cenlrctliscrlion ol power when leoders ore nol occounioble lo lhose ihev The Kenyon Bribery lndex 2005 reporls thoi, in 2004,34% of jhose surveyecl encounlered bribes. The Police Force received lhe worsl ronking. Allhough the number of bribes hos decreosed in recenl yecrrs, lhe size ot lhe bribes hos increosed. {Kenvo is ronkecl l47llB0;n ihe worlcl on the Corruplion Perceplion lndex) Countries suffering from poveriy such os Zimbobwe, Sudor!, Congo, Myonmor ond Somolio clre ol the botiom len oi this index.

.o ttauoesirri

o,

iruslroiing poveriy reduclion slroiegies in lheir member slcltes. An officiol from Tonzonio Associoiion of Non-covernmenlol Associoiion Orgonizolions {TANGO), Musso Billegeyo, soid yeslerdoy in Dor es scr oom thot SADC region wos very rjch in nolurol resources bul iis people remoined poor. Accorcling to Billegeyo, SADC region hos o loi of noluroj resources which, if monoged properly, could heip erodicole poverty. He noled thol, lhe levels of conuplion in the region were very high, ond likely 1o jeoporclize lhe lrusl clmong rnember sloles in lhe process of pulling in ploce o colleciive SADC s poverly reduclion frcrmework. {30 Jonuory 2008,Ihe Guordian)

One of ihe more enirenched sources of poveriy ihrougholri the word is SOCiOI inequolity siemming from culiurol icleos oboul the retotive worth of cltfferent gencters, roces. eihnic groups ond socicrl closses. lndividuols in dilfereni socielies ore ofien coleatixized oi birth bosed on vorious choroclerislics such os reigion, ejhnic or roce. lne.l ir ily is increosing in o world while the world oppeors 10 be globolizinq. ln !jz!!LA icon h6tory oporlhaid lows definecj o binory coste sysiem ih(ll ossigned diiferenl riglitr .rr lock lhereof, ond sociol sloius to Whiles ond Blcrcks, usinq skin colour lo

or

I

.rl;colly delermine ihe opportunilles ovoiloble io individuols in eclch group.

ln (c-rl!g, women's righis to properly cire unequol to lhose of men. Women,s righls io own on.r inherii properly ore conlinuolly under oltclck from cusloms, lows, oncl inclivicluols. incl!.Jin.l government officiols who believe lhot women connot be lrusled wilh or do nol clelerve properly. Women in Kenyo moke up B0 perceni of lhe ogriculiurol lclbour force ond prcvicle 60 percenl of fclrm income ond yel own only 5 percenl of the lond. lhe iroditionol

divisior oi lcrbour olso overburdens women who hove lo spend fime ond energy on clomeslic chores, such os felching woler ond firewoocl, morkeling, ond roisjng the children in oddition 10 the fornl work, in mony coses, being o womon meons being poor,

Mony believe ihcll mosl cleveloping nolions ore in debi ond poveriy porily clue to lhe SlfUCtUrOl OdjUStment pOliCieS of inlernoiionoi insiitulions such os ihe lnternotionot Monelory Fund {lMF) ond ihe World Bonk. Arnong olher cooclilions, SAp policies odvocole privolizolion of siole owned enlerprises 10 privoie owners, oflen foreign invesiors. privqiisoiion is, unforlunoiely, lypicolly ossociolecl with lcryoffs ond poy culs for workers in ihe privotized enlerprises. The slondord SAP policy pockoge olso cclJls for cuh in governmenl spencling, which often meons o reducljon in services ovcriloble lo ihe poor, inclucling heollh ond educoiion seryices, os well os form subsidies. Afler oirnosi lwo decodes of ,,ocljuslmenl,' in Africo, the resull hos been on increose in incorne clnd weolth inequcrlily wiih more oncl more popu crlions being pushed below the poverly line.

ii. The Psychologicol Consequences of Poveriy

Being poor is degfoding. lhe poor oflen clefine lhemselves os follures, ond moy be rejecled ond clespised b'y oihers in society. Being poor engendefs hopelessnesS, *hich moy resuli in opolhy. The poor connol oiford io go on slrikes ogoinsl low woges or big renl ond connol offord lowyers or lobbyisls. ln mony socieiies, lhe poor reolise lhe overwhelming odds ogoinst lheir ochieving succets ln lerms of lhe volues ond gools of moinsireom sociely. Consequenily, they moy lend to feej thoi iheir foies ore in lhe honds of poweful olhers-

ond

fesentment. The poor ore u"ry oflen lhe lost Being poor engendefs ongef to be hirecl_ond the first to be fired. They oflen live in poor housing wilh filthy conditions- They poy hiqher inleresl roles becouse lhey ore poor credil risks - onolher vicious cycle. They see offluence oll oboui lhem bJl no motler how hord ihey lry, ore unoble lo shore in it.

iii. other lmpocl

/ lmplicqlions

ot Poverty

Mosl ot the poor people live in sUbstondord no bosic sewoge, cleon woler or eleciriciiy.

living conditions.

most of which hove

of oclequoie food, moke them mofe vulneroble lo preventoble diseoses. over ihe post three decodes. mony diseoses were cliscovered lo hove originoled from developing counlries lhol hod

Such living condilions, coupled with lhe lock

rudimenicrry surveillonce copobility. The ihree primory diseoses of povedy ore AIDS, molorio, ond luberculosis.

"Mqlqriq ond poverly ore inlimolely connecled. As bolh o rool couse ond o consequence of poverly, molorio is mosl inlroclqble for lhe pooresl counlries ond communilies in lhe world lhol foce o vicious cycle of poverly ond ill heqfth", /rhe Eorih lnslitule, univesily of Colombio) ll is no coincidence ihol the only ports of Africo thot hove significonily reduced molorio ore lhe norihern ond soulhern tips, home lo lhe richest counlries on lhe conlinent. ln ihe Weslern Hemisphere, lhe country with lhe worsl molorio, Egl!. olso hoppens lo be ihe pooresl counlry in tlol region . It ebruory 20Ol. lhe l( onomic Eurden ol Matol;o. leffrey So( h\ & John Luke Gollup, Centet for lnferno onol Developmenf, HaNotd)

Poveriy resutts in rnony receiving inodeqUole of o lock of educolion. EveniuolLy, lhese chilclren grow up oncl hold deod end, low pcrying ond unsloble iobs due lo iheir low level of educolion. ncome becomes more erroiic due lo unsioble income oncl ihey encl up being sluck in ihis poveriy lrop.

Children from

poor ond clisodvonloged fomilies ore ol risk of low tiierot

According to o 2003 Repod Cord on Child poverty in Conodo by Comporgn 2OOO, even in the yeor 2001, olrnosi one in six children in Conodo still lived in poverly. These chilclren ore ollen nol well served by lhe school syslem where lhey ore likely io be lobelled ond ploced in c osses where less is expecled of ihem ond less moy be offered. Their porenls moy nol hove lhe informolion, confidence, or skills to chollenge the school syslem for help_ Mony poor children either drop oui of high school or groduole wilhout being fully literoie. /Movement for Cancldion Lileroc

The denioF

femoins

of

eclucolionol odvonioges meons crtso thot mUCh hUmOn tOlent hidden ond repfessed. The whole society k thus poorer cufiuro y ond

molerioliy.

Poveriy ond third worlcl debl hove been shown io resutt in feSOUfCe Stfipping Oy counlries offeciecl in order lo survive oT poy off clebts. Also, poor counlries ore more likely lo

ollow foreign industries ond locol businesses to operote below lhe

envifonmentol stOndOfds.

Such ociions hove

in iurn resutled in

voriolrs

environmentol problems. n recenl yeors, Nepol ond Bonqlodesh hove suffered from increosingly devosloiing floods, ofien believed lo be resuliing from Jorge scole deforeslcliion. /www. g/obo/issues. orgl Poverty is one of ihe mo;n couses oi forest ond woodlond clegrodolion in southern Africo ond il is bolh o consequence ond o corrse of lhis degrodqtion. ln ihe SADC region noiionol foreds ore oso being exploiled for homesleod construclion moleriqls. The deslruciion of foresh lhqi resulis conlribuies to lond degrodoiion processes ond ollers ihe soil woter regimes. A clegroded environmenl produces less, so people become moTe vulneroble, for exomple, lo woler borne ond olher diseoses. fsoulhern Atico Regionol paverfy Nef{ork) Poorer developing counlries oflen hove insuflicienl environmenlcll restroinls on lhe conducl oi corporolions. ln these developed counlries, which ore eoger for foreign inveslmenl oncl jobs, corporolions hove significonlly more lreedom 1o exploii noiurol resources ond pollLtte

lhe envkonmenl, oflen wilhout hoving lo poy even o smoll pod of lhe envkonmenlol cleon oir bill. /McCormick Polickf. ond Connors, Russe/t 8. Focinq Elhico/ lss

Poveriy funclomenlolly erodes o siole's copocily to cleliver essenliol services poputotion. Conflicts develop os peop e iighi for suryivol.

io

ihe

combinoiion of decodes ot clroughl, desertificolion, ond overpopulolion ore omong ihe couses of lhe Dorfur confllci. The United Nolions eslimoles thcrl the conflict hos lefl os mony os 300,000 cleod from violence ond diseose. The

Ihe fruslrolion-oggression lheory oncl the relolive deprivo an iheory suggesl lhoi individuols become oggressive when lhere ore obslocles {perceived ond reol) to their srrcce\\ in life Dollord el ol (1939), in whot becorne known os the fruslrolion oggrestion hypofhesis, orgued thol "lhe occunence ot oggressive behoviour cllwoys presupposes the exislence of fruslrolion ond, conlroriwise, lhot lhe exhtence of fruslrolion olwoys leods io some form oi oggression". They defined frusirolion os prevenling ihe fu fillmenl of o gool. Closely ossocioled wilh ihe fruslroiion-oggression lheory is lhe re/oiive deprivotian lheary. This theory slresses lhol somelimes people perceive lhemselves io be deprived re oiive to olhers. ll is the perceplioruihoi creoles lhe inler-group hoslility, rother thon lhe ocluol reloiive siolus of ihe lwo groups. These theories ore relevonl in discussinq lhe reloiionship beiween poverly ond conflicl in Africo. With poor governonce slruclures ond unequol occess ond distribLrtion of economic resources, some segmenis ot ihe populolion lend io hove belier opporiuniiies thon olhers. This inevilobly olters power relolions ond in iurn leods lo ihe persisience ol poveriy omongsl cerloin groups wilh very serious consequences for sociol slobilily.

lo

povedy hos been hoired os o threct globol security ond terrorism, with "povedy lerror". World poverly creoies condiiions conducive ihol breeds experls concl!ding jronsnoiionol ond lerrorisJ clcliviiies, nol only by moking desperole lo criminol enierprises potenliolly more susceplible 1o recruilment, bul olso, ond more significonlly, by individuo s undermining ihe siole's obilily io prevenl ond counler those violeni lhreois. Also, much of modern doy lronsnollonol ierrorism seems to generole from grievonces ogoinsl rich counkies.

ot o developmenl summit in Mexico hove colled for increosed oid lo poor co!niries lo help slomp oui exlreme poverly os o motivolion for ierorism. Former heod of the World Trode Orgcrnisollon {WTO), Michoel Moore, soid thot poverly is whol he colls the "greolest sing e lhreot io peoce, securily, democrocy, humon righis ond ihe environmenl". 122 Morch 2A02, BBC) Worlcl leoclers meeling

iv.

lmpocl of Poverly on Women qnd Children

Poverly mokes people, especiolly women ond chidren, vulneroble exploiloiion.

io

vorious iypes of

An eslimoled I58 million children oged 5-14 ore engoged in child lobour - one in six children

in the worrd. Milions of children Ore engoged in hOZOrdOUs SitUOtiOnS Or COnditiOnS, sucn os working in mines, working wilh chemicols ond pesticides in ogriculture or working wilh dongerous mochinery. Sorne loil os clomeslic servonls in homes, while olhers loboLrr behind ihe wolls of workshops, hidden from view in plonlolions. ln Sub-sohoron Africo oround one in lhree children ore engoged in child lobour, represenling 69 million children. ln

Childfen living in the poorest households ond in rurol oreos ore most likely to be engoged in child lobour. rnose burdened wilh househotd chores ore

souih Asio, onoiher 44 mlttion ore engoged tn chitd tobolr.

overwhclmingly girls. Millions of girls who work os domeslic servonls ore especiolly vulneroble to exploilotion ond obuse. /UNICEF/

proctice of girls morrying ol o young oge is most common in sub,sohoron Africo ond Soulh Asio. Survey dolo of oround 100 couniries showed ihot;n developing counlries, more thon 6[r mi/lion women oged 20-24 were moried/in unlon belore ihe oge of ]8. Over ihirlyone rn on of lhem live in Soulh Asio. ln counlries like Bonglcldesh, Cenlrol Africon Republic, Chcr.l. Guineo, Moli, ond Niger more lhon 60 per cenl of women enlered into morrioge or into o L,nion before their eishteenth birthdoys. Girls living in the pooresl 20 per The

cenl cf households ore more likely to get morried of on eorly oge lhon those living in the weollhiesl 20 per cent. ln peru 45 per cenr of

women were morr;ed by oge lB omong ihe pooresl 20 per cenl, compored lo S per cenl omong lhe richesi 20 per cent (UNICEF eslimotes bosed on DHS 2000J. porenh choose lo morry off their doughiers eorty ior o number of reosons. POOI fomilies moy fegofd O

young girl os on economic burden ond her morrioge os o necessory survivol slrotegy for her fomily.

luNrcrrT

lrofficking is o viololion ot fundomeniol rights. Trofficking in children is o globol probiem offecling lorge numbers of children. Some estimoles hove os mony os 1.2 rnillion children beins lrofficked every yeor. There is o demond for trofficked children os

cheop lobour or for sexuol exploiloiion. chilclren ond their fomilies ore often unowore of the dongers of trofficking, believing thol better employment ond lives lie in olher counlr;es. uNlcEF esiimoies thot 1,000 to Guolemolon bobies ond children ore trofficked eoch yeor for odoplion by couples in Norih Americo oncl Europe. Girls os young os l3 (moinly from Asio ond Eoslern Europe) ore trofficked os "moiForder brides". ln mosi coses, ihese girls ond women ore powerless ond isototed ond oi greol risk of violence. Lofge numbers of children ore being l,5OO

trofficked in West ond Centrol Africo, moinly for domeslic work but olso for sexuol exploitolion ond to work in shops or on forms. Neorly 90 per cent of these trofficked domestic workers ore girls. Children from Togo, Moli, Burkino Foso ond Ghono ore irofficked to Nigerio, lvory Coosl, Comeroon-ond Gobon. Children ore trofficked both in ond out of Benin ond Nigerio Some children ore senl os for owoy os the Middle Eost ond Europe. IUNICEF/

Sexuol oclivily is often seen os o pdvote motter, moking communiiies reluclonl to ocl ond interyene in coses of sexuol exploilolion. These ollittrcles moke chilclren more vulneroble io sexuol exploilolion- surveys indicole thot 30 10 35 per cenl of oll sex wo(ers in the Mekong sub-region of Soulheosl Asio ore belween 12 ond l/ yeors of oge. Mexico's sociol service ogency reporls ihoi lhere ore more thon 16,000 children engogecl in prosliluiion, wiih tourisl deslinolions being omong lhose oreos wiih lhe highesl number. ln Lilhuonio, 20 to 50 percent of prostiluies ore believed lo be minors. Children os young os oge I I ore known lo work os proslilufes. Children from children's homes, some l0 lo 12 yeors old, hove been used io moke pornogrophic movies. IUNICEF/

An eslimoled 3OO,O00 child soldiers - boys ond girTs under the oge of lB - ore involved in more lhon 30 conflicls worldwide. Child soldiers ore used os combolonts, messengers, poriers, cooks oncl lo provide sexuol services. Some ore forcibly recruited or obducted, Olhefs ore driven to join by poveriy, obuse ond discriminolion, or io seek revenge for violence enocled oqoinsl lhemselves ond their fomilles. lo 20A2lhe Optionol Protocol lo fhe Canvention on the Righls of the Child an the lnvolvemenl af Childrcn in Armed Conflicf enlered inlo force. li oullows ihe involvemenl of children under oge l8 in hoslilities. As well os reqLliing Stotes 10 roise lhe oge of compulsory recruilmenl ond direci podicipotion in conflicl lo lB, ihe optionol Proiocol requires Slotes porties io roise lhe minimum oge for voluniory recruilmenl beyond the curreni minimum of 15.

During ormed confrict.

girls ond women ore threolened

by

domestic violence, sexuol exploitolion, lrofficking,

rope,

sexuol

ond

humiliolion mutilotion. Use of rope ond oiher forms oi viotence ogoinst women hos become o slroiegy in wors for oll s'des_ lnvesiigotive reporis following the 1994 genocide

in Rwondo concluded ihot neorly every femole over lhe oge of 12 who survived the genocide wos roped- During ihe conilict in ihe former yugotovio, more lhon 20,000 were esiimoied io hove been sexuo ty ossouted. Conflict ojso breoks up fomilies,

piocing odditionol economic ond emotionol burdens on women. Children in ormed conflict olso routinely experience emoiionolly Ond psychologiCOlly poinful events such os ihe viotent cleoth or o poreni or

close relolive; seporotion from fomily; wilnessi.rg loved ones being killed or lodured; displocemeni from home ond communily; exposure lo combot, shelling ond oiher life threolening siluotions; ocls of obuse such os being obducled, orresled, held in detention, roped, toriured; disruption of school roulines ond communily life; desliiulion ond on uncerloin fuiure.

v.

rUNICEF./

The Sociol ond Economic Funclions of Poverty

The workins poor provicte

o low-woge lobour pool thot does

sociely's

necessofy "difty wofk". The rnidc e ond upper ctosses ore subsidized by ihe exislence of economic oclivilies thot depend on lhe poor. Mony induslries would noi hove thrived wilhout this under poid workforce. The exisience

of the

non working

poor CreOteS jObS

fOf O nUmbef

Of

OCCUpOtiOn Ond pfOfeSSiOnS thot serve the poor or proiect ihe rest of the socieiy from lhem - sociol workers, welfore ogencies, pownshop owners. Jhey help mOdefn medicine by being lhe guineo pigs in.nedico erpe imFnr\ collecrivery. rhey

subsidise merchonls

by purchosing products thot

olherwise would hove liltle or no volue

-ditopidored cors, dererjororjns

houses, siole food, elc. Their low stolus guoronlees lhe siotus of ihose who ore nol poor_

vi. why lhe Richer Nolions Should Tockle Poverly

Very oiien, poorer couniries ore poor becouse of lhe unfoir terrns of lrocle imposed by ihe richer couniries. There is o need to

righl lhe wrong.

of the dcher ond more powerful counlries subjecl the poorer, developing noiions to Unfoif pfices by subsidising their own formers, thereby ensuring lhol they generole more produce thon needed ol orlificiolly low pices. This tencilers ihe world's For one, some

pooresi formers incopoble of compeling.

Alocilg ond in Europe, deliberoleLy poy iheir formers producofor food ot orlificiolly low prices lo prevenl lhe world s pooresl formers loo much lo ljnion spends holf of its entire budgel on The Europeon from being oble lo compeiesubsidies. unnecessory ond uneihicol onti-compelitive { l0 Septembet 2003' The lndependent

The wodd's richest nolions, especiolly

UK)

reduces lhe incentive for locol formers to produce food, os ihey connol clo so ol prices which ore os low. Al ihe some lime, lhis proctice of seling lood ol orliliciolly low prices olso effeciively locks out more efficieni food producers from selling lheir products in Eilrope ond the US.

This

Poorer couniries ore olso longuishing under the Unfoif deols tney hod received for their commodilies, lhus rendering ihem unoble to escope lhe poveriy lrop.

Mosl cleveloping counlries depend on exporling primory commodilies teo, sugor, coffee, rubber, copper ior lheir exporl eornings. Between 1980 ond 1986, the prices lhol developing counlries received for their non-oil primory commodily expods fell by 26%. Developing counlries wonl crnd need sloble morkels for their commodilies ond olso more \loble pr .er.

lo eorn more income, cloubled ils colton outpui. The roins grew ond horvested thek crops. lhen in one doy in July, the come, lhe peosonis plonied, price of collon on lhe worl