Poverty is injustice
Poverty is not random, inevitable, or the fault of poor people – it exists because of injustice.
It’s an injustice…
- when women suffer from violence at the hands of their partners
- when poor and vulnerable groups are excluded from schools or governments, from access to health care or opportunities to work and earn an income
- when the world’s poorest people suffer most from the effects of climate change
- when people go hungry in a world of plenty
The fact that 1.2 billion people live in extreme poverty is an injustice caused by inequality – especially gender inequality and unequal power relations.
This means a life free from poverty, violence, discrimination or human rights violations. It means a world where all people are included in society, and all people can claim their rights to health care, shelter and education regardless of how poor or rich they are.
