IPS Correspondents:
Our world has witnessed unprecedented levels of economic development.
The advance of our technological capabilities continues unabated.
Our financial resources continue to grow.
Yet, as of last year, an estimated 750 million people live in extreme poverty.
Extreme poverty is defined as living on less than $2.15 per day.
Roughly 60% of the world’s extreme poor live in Sub-Saharan Africa alone.
81% of the global poor at the poverty line of $3.65 lived in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
As of this year, almost 129 million Indians are living in extreme poverty.
But poverty is not solely an economic issue.
It is a multidimensional phenomenon that encompasses both a lack of income and the basic capabilities to live in dignity.
Significantly, the extreme poor face social and institutional maltreatment – through no fault of their own.
People living in poverty are stigmatized, discriminated against, judged, and even blamed for their situation.
Social maltreatment creates a setting for institutional maltreatment.
Negative attitudes towards the poor end up controlling discriminatory policies and practices.
This can deny people of their fundamental human rights, like access to healthcare, education and housing.
Furthermore, social and institutional maltreatment amplify each other.
These fuel deepening injustice and violence, especially pronounced for people who face gender and racial prejudice.
This year’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty aims to highlight this hidden dimension of poverty.
We must act together to promote just, peaceful, and inclusive societies.