Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Poverty is a Human Rights Issue Essay - 1987 Words

The question of whether poverty is a human rights issue is a controversial one. On the one hand, in development economics theory, poverty is defined as deprivation or a lack of income and has to be solved through economic growth. On the other hand, from the perspective of international human rights laws, poverty is first and foremost as a denial of fundamental rights and as such it’s a human rights crisis. However, in the final analysis and based on both my experience as a citizen of one the poorest countries in the world (the DR Congo) and development economics background, I believe that poverty is first a human rights phenomenon, not an economic one. To support my stance, I will first clarify the basic concepts of this essay, notably†¦show more content†¦Human rights, on the other hand, are the rights or claims that someone has because he or she is a human being. As such, human rights give some kind of special entitlement to rights’ holders which, in return, give rise to claims if they cannot be enjoyed or they happen to be denied. Moreover, not only human rights give special entitlements to rights’ holders, but they also protect the rights’ holders from the abuse of political power. The abuse of political power is generally committed by States who are both duty bearers and services providers and must be held accountable when they fail to fulfill their duties of respecting, protecting and promoting human rights. Non-state actors as well can fail to respect, protect and promote human rights under the territory they control and must be held to account. Based on this conceptual background, and in accordance with Irene Khan’s analysis on poverty and human rights , poverty is characterized by four main features, notably: deprivation, insecurity, voiceless and powerlessness. Based on these features and as Irene Khan argues, â€Å"poverty is not primarily about economics and income levels. It is about the powerlessness experienced in so many ways by those living in poverty. Human rights are claims that the weak advance to hold the powerful to account, and that is why poverty is first and foremost about rights† (p.21). The human rights approach to poverty can be exemplified in several ways. For instance,Show MoreRelatedPoverty And The Poverty Of Canada1236 Words   |  5 Pagesallows everyone to live life heartily? Sounds terrible, and impossible right? Unfortunately for every group of seven people in Canada there is one person who knows this isn’t impossible at all; it’s their reality, and it’s calle d poverty. Being one of the eight richest and highly industrialized countries in the entire world, and apart of the G8 countries, Canada is still the only one that hasn’t devised a national anti-poverty plan or even a housing plan. Which is absurd, because according to a 2010Read MoreInjustices : The Wrong Human Rights1459 Words   |  6 PagesInjustices: The Wrong Human Rights In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article one states, â€Å"[that] all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,† (â€Å"The Universal Declaration . . . â€Å"). Although this is written and followed in many countries around the world, there are still countries that do not follow this statement. These countries are the ones where freedom are not given freely. People have to fights for rights that should be automatically given. Goal number sixteenRead MoreTrying to Erradicate Poverty and Extreme Poverty1351 Words   |  5 Pages Almost half of the world lives on less than $2.50 a day. The very poor suffer from lack of access to safe food and water, basic education, and medicine. For many of the world’s countries, poverty is prevalent. While almost half of the world lives in poverty, the rich continue to get richer. In 2005, the poorer 10% only accounted for 0.5% of the world’s share of private consumption, while the richest 10% ac counted for 59% of consumption (Shah 1-4). There is an increasing inequality gap. The worldRead MorePoverty Of Being Unwanted, Unloved And Uncared For Is The Greatest Poverty Essay876 Words   |  4 PagesGlobal Poverty One of the most famous quotes from the late Mother Teresa is â€Å"We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. Poverty still remains as one of the main obstacles and issues people are facing particularly in the world. According to the website thebreakthrough.org, poverty tops off the list as the biggest challenge when in comparison with another immediate concern- Global WarmingRead MorePoverty And Its Effects On America894 Words   |  4 PagesPoverty is one of largest problem in the whole world, because thousands of people are affected by this major concern. Poverty is an issue that inflicts many dangerous situations, such as, crimes, diseases, lack of literacy, hard labor, etc., and therefore, it is essential to resolute before it gets worse. For example, United States is having risen in unemployment rates, which indicates the early symptoms, that citizens have started su bmerging into poverty. In most of the poor countries crime ratioRead MorePoverty Is The Main Obstacles And Problem Of The People973 Words   |  4 PagesPoverty is the main obstacles and problem of the people are facing particularly in the world. As of 2013, there were about 2.47 billion people in the world living in poverty with an income of USD 2 or less a day most of them from developing or under developing countries located in African and Asian continent. The population living under poverty only declined from 2.59 billion to 2.47 billion between 1981 and 2013 respectively. Hence the declines principally are seated mostly in developed countriesRead MoreEssay about Making Social Rights a Human Right1741 Words   |  7 Pageswhy social rights should be human rights. Poverty, capitalism, and government will be the motives used to explain why social rights should be considered human rights and be enforceable in a court of law. Although the costs of social rights would result in hig her taxes, the benefits would far exceed the costs. It would greatly reduce the majority of poverty and crime as well as improve overall health within our society. Various aspects of social rights will be examined which include rights to food,Read MoreReflection Of Poverty1563 Words   |  7 PagesPoverty What causes Poverty? Poverty is caused by separation. How are we separated? Walls are built consciously and unconsciously between people. This can happen with housing, work, schools, churches, hospitals, and between countries. Living life at a poverty level is complex because you are always lacking something. Two issues that stand out, is lack of housing and food. If peoples’ basic needs are not met, it is like a domino effect, one thing affects another. Although, there is differentRead MoreHuman Rights And Social Equity757 Words   |  4 PagesHuman Rights and Social Equity Thesis and Motive Human rights are vital to achieving and sustaining development, and while world leaders acknowledged the links between human rights and development, the MDGs did not reflect this as inequities faced by populations were not considered (UN Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights [OHCHR], 2015). For example, while some countries were able to achieve the MDGs, in many countries, particularly poor ones, individuals remain in extremeRead MoreThe Universal Declaration Of Human Rights1489 Words   |  6 PagesAll around the world, basic human rights, as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are being violated. As Thomas Pogge argues, these violations contribute to the rise of poverty in multiple nations. The global rate of death caused by poverty is astounding, â€Å"†¦360 million human beings have died prematurely from poverty related causes, with some 18 million more added each year†, and unfortunately these figures are substantially l arger than the death count of many wars (Pogge, p.50)

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.