1. POVERTY IN COLOMBIA
Over 26% of the world’s population living in poverty, originates In Latin America (The Borgen Project, 2016). Poverty is a very broad subject, but its main factors are: lack of basic necessities such as water, housing, food; dependency on the state for education and healthcare; but also the lack of power to change anything (World Bank, no date). Colombia ranks about mid-scale, with the poverty rates decreasing but still worrying and high compared to the best countries. People living in poverty account for over 30% of the country’s population (Colombia Reports, 2017). The poverty percentage is highly unequal between rural and urban settings, with the first one being nearly 60%, and the following under 20% (Colombia Reports,
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SOURCES AND CAUSES OF POVERTY IN COLOMBIA
Colombia’s citizens have been ravaged by a war which lasted 5 decades. An abundance of people lost their land and assets, and as much as 5,7million were forced to relocate. In result creating major wealth and population inequalities (Fleter & Renwick, 2017). Following this, the government has often forgotten about its citizens, placing the war as its priority. Some cities in the southwest are nothing compared to their counterparts in the centre of the country. For example, Buenaventura has an official unemployment rate of 18% when the average is 9%, this large inequality also affects poverty, as 80% of people are poor (Dias, 2017). The regions with lower incomes and population density also see lower funding from the government and possess less public institutions. One of the results of the state being so week is that tax revenue only contributes 1% of GDP (Fergusson, Molinaz, Robinson, & Vargas, 2017) leaving little money for reinforcing the law. A different source of inequality might be that educated people in Colombia can expect wages far better than those without education (Ramirez, Bacarreza, & Jetter, 2015). People in rural areas often do not finish school (see: Appendix 1) and as a result cannot expect good wages, widening the gap between cities and
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It used to be the biggest cocaine producer in the world, while nowadays it sill contributes over half of the world’s production (Colombia Reports, 2018). People in rural areas have little-to-none opportunities and the well-paid jobs apart from the oil trade and mining are very limited. Thus desperate locals were more willing to turn to illegal practices (Worldview Stratfor, 2015). A law from 1994 which divided the country into “stratas” was meant to improve the quality of life for poor people, decreasing taxes and some home costs (Singh, 2013). However this was not the case with the law dwindling social mobility and segregating society, it also shown how unequal the society was, with 89% being in the groups considered “poor” (Hudson,
Introduction: Imagine being born into a very poor lower class family in a beautiful society where everyone knows each other, a big family. Now, this society begins to drown in the abuse of drugs, violence, corrupted government, all influenced by the drug cartel in your very own backyard. But don’t forget that you are as poor as you can be trying to make ends meet in a corrupted government, but the only option you have is to survive by joining the drug cartel to support yourself and your family. It’s not a big deal because you’re making easy money, so it’s worth the risk, and your cousin who’s been working for them can vouch for them. Such is the Colombian way of life, especially in Medellin.
The broad range of topographical elevations has encouraged agricultural expansion whose diverse production of food constitutes an important part of the Colombian economy. The agricultural sector contributed 14% of GDP, excluding coffee, with a production worth almost 11 billion US. In the hot lowlands of the Caribbean heartland, the inter-montages valleys, and the savannas of Orinoquia, there are immense plantations of bananas, sugar cane, rice, cotton, soybeans and sorghum, and large cattle farms that produce meat and dairy products. (Sited Dennis Hanratty)
Poverty is not just an issue reserved for third world countries. Instead, poverty is a multifaceted issue that even the most developed nations must battle
When the country of Colombia is mentioned, chances are individuals automatically start composing images of famous actors and musicians that have rooted from Colombia such as Shakira and Sofia Vergara, the excellent reputation Colombian coffee has made across the globe, or even the beautiful Emeralds that surround the astonishing land. Of course all of those things matter, but Colombia is a country that is definitely swept under the rug and under appreciated. Colombia’s history, independence movements, governmental structure, and culture are just a few of the topics that make Colombia so unique.
...onditions in an inner-city or a rural community in the United States” (8). Most of the countries in Africa there are well over 50% of people below their poverty line. For an example, Lusted states, “In developing regions, extreme poverty is usually defined as earning less than $1.25 a day. In the United States, extreme poverty means earning less than half of the official poverty line” (10). But Africa isn’t the only country struggling with poor people. Poverty and Homelessness by Merino writes, “...3.7 percent in Denmark, 5 percent in Finland, 5.5 percent in Norway, 6.9 in Slovenia, 7 percent in Sweden, 7.2 percent [in] Hungary, 8.3 percent in Germany, 8.8 percent in the Czech Republic, 9.3 percent in France, 9.4 percent in Switzerland” (32). Poverty is a struggle all around the world and thousands of people die each day due to the lack of basic necessities to live.
Poverty is “the inability to acquire enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and shelter” (Gosselin,2009). This social disadvantage limits one’s ability to receive a quality education and it is a constant problem throughout the world accompanied with“deleterious impacts on almost all aspects of family life and outcomes for children”(Ravallion,1992). Poverty is a main factor that affects normal human growth and development in a variety of ways, primarily impacting children’s early development, social behaviour, health, and self worth.
In today 's society, there is 1 in 7 people living in poverty which is costing Canadian citizens’ money as they are paying for taxes. There are many standpoints in which people examine the ways poverty affect society such as Marx’s conflict theory. Marx’s conflict theory goes over how social stratification being inevitable and how there is a class consciousness within people in the working class. Another way that poverty is scrutinized is by feminization. Feminization is the theory that will be explored throughout this essay. Poverty will be analyzed in this essay to determine the significance of poverty on the society and the implications that are produced.
Poverty is “the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions” (Merriam-Webster dictionary, 2015); in other words, struggling to provide a comfortable living style. It is the cause of family stress and many other problems, especially for the children. Millions of people around the world are struggling with poverty; families suffering to provide enough food seem to be growing in numbers. According to the United States Census Bureau, the poverty rate was highest in the 1960s and decreased greatly in the 1970s. However, it is now slowly starting to increase again. Recently released census data by the Bureau showed that one in five people are living in poverty (Census Bureau, 2014). Poverty is even
Poverty is an outcome of the mode of production and plays a large role in relation to production. Therefore, according to Marx, it is a contributor to the economic base. People who are living at poverty level struggles to meet the living necessities due to capitalist exchange values on productions. What I mean by this that people in poverty cannot afford to buy enough food, clothes, and most importantly a safe home for their kids. This is due to the fact that most people living in poverty are being paid minimum wages that does not meet the exchange values of commodities. People in poverty are the laborers in the capitalist world, they a commodity as well. Using Marx’s theory, people in poverty are the proletariats since they are the actual
Several contributing factors can be viewed as reasons for crime. Depending on the circumstances, it can sometimes be very difficult to resist the temptation to commit a crime. It is even harder when you are coming from a place where crime is considered to be a normal part of society and looked at as a way of daily living that is supposed to be incorporated into daily lifestyles, hence the city we are not too far from: Fresno. In fact, by having a city or group of cities nearby where violence, crime, and gangs are abundant, it has given me an incentive to dig deeper into this issue. Now the question can be posed: What is the significance of crime in areas where poverty is present? True, this is not an easy question to answer considering that crime happens for many different reasons and sometimes location is not the problem. The origin of crime date back to the beginning of man, and the thing is it will never be stopped, as it is almost a part of human nature nowadays. But for now, we must study how crime and poverty are linked to one another, and what other contributing factors influence the effect of crime where poverty is relevant.
Poverty has been an issue for a long time and every country is affected by it in some way and some countries are worse off than others. The countries most affected by poverty are Niger, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Uganda, Haiti and many other countries (Infoplease).The total percentage of world population that lives on less than $2.50 a day is that of around 50%. The definition of poverty is “The state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor.” (Dictionary). There are countless causes of poverty in under-developed countries, such as overpopulation, disease, and how the government distributes its wealth.
Of all the existing third world regions, Latin America is considered the most developed, yet economic disparities that result in poverty and absolute poverty persist (Preston, 1996). Venezuela, Columbia, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, and Peru many more others are some the most adversely affected by poverty issues. But who does poverty affect the most?, According to many studies conducted regarding poverty, it has been found to affect mostly women, children and the elderly, the elderly of course, having to suffer the most because of the inability to generate income. What effects does poverty have on the elderly in Latin America?
What is poverty? Well, according to Webster's Third New International Dictionary, poverty is "lack of money or material possessions; poor." Two-thirds of the world's population fits this definition. I know that many times we think of being poor as not being able to buy the car we want or take the trip we can only dream about. However, being poor, living in poverty, hits a lot lower than that. For example, a resident of the country of Chad will only bring in $100 each year. Since many people can make more than that in one week, some in one day, can you imagine having the feed a family of five or six, or even a family of two, on only $100 a year? These are the conditions that exist in poverty-stricken countries.
Some of the prominent states that are consumed with poverty are Rwanda, Chad, and Democratic Republic of Congo. Rwanda is a landlocked, resource-poor country. The population is about 9.7 million, and 87 per cent of Rwandans live in rural areas. Population density in the country is the highest in Africa, with about 370 persons/km². The country is one of the poorest in Africa. Gross domestic product per capita was US$464 in 2008, and Rwanda ranked 167th out of 182 countries in the 2009 United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Index. Chad is also one of the world's poorest countries. In 2003 over 54 per cent of the population was living below the poverty line. For much of the population health and social conditions are inadequate. Chronic food shortages are widespread, and malnutrition levels among young children are high. These statistics are slightly higher in rural as oppose...
Poverty is a global epidemic that contributes to the deaths of millions each year. However, poverty is more prominent in some areas around the world than others. The Oxford dictionary defines poverty as the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support, but it’s so much more. Poverty can be defined as being hungry, lacking shelter, being unable to go to school, being unable to see a doctor, or being powerless and having a lack of freedom. The reason behind the many descriptions of poverty is that poverty has many faces, and its definition changes depending on the place and time, however the effects of poverty on the poor are always the same.