{"id":898,"date":"2021-04-03T19:26:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-03T19:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uantwerpen.one\/blog-usos\/?p=898"},"modified":"2021-06-15T20:38:07","modified_gmt":"2021-06-15T20:38:07","slug":"covid-19-a-perpetuator-of-poverty-and-inequality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/global-pen-friends\/covid-19-a-perpetuator-of-poverty-and-inequality\/","title":{"rendered":"Covid-19: A perpetuator of poverty and inequality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Correspondence between Akshay Chopra<\/strong> (student at National Law University \u2013 Delhi) and Akim Ampire Byoshi <\/strong>(\u00e9tudiant \u00e0 l\u2019Universit\u00e9 Catholique de Bukavu)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear Akim Ampire Byoshi,<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Covid-19 pandemic has played an important role in highlighting growing inequalities. It exposed the myth that everyone is in the same boat. While we are all floating on the same sea, it\u2019s clear that some are in superyachts, while others are clinging to the drifting debris\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Antonio Guterres, S.G. of the United Nations<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope you are doing well and this letter finds you in good health! Akim, you might be wondering why I chose this very general topic as our discussion agenda. The primary reason behind this is that it is the backbone of the complete Sustainable Development Goals, as no one can be expected to think about education, good health or the environment if they are poor and hungry. I was really happy when I found a person dealing with conflict and mediation in the social sciences as my correspondent. We both have many similarities, as we both belong to countries which face problems of poverty, inequality, illiteracy and discrimination, among other issues. These problems directly influence our professions also, as in my case it is the \u2018rule of law\u2019 which is expected to render justice to poor deprived classes and you, being a person involved in mediating conflict, know that poverty, accompanied by illiteracy, is one of the major driving forces of crime and conflict, as \u2018Hunger makes a thief of any man\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This pandemic has ravaged the lives of people, it has taken their occupations and their right to work and a basic livelihood. It\u2019s true that it affects the whole world but the effect is not uniform in nature, as the poor and vulnerable classes of society always suffer more. A large number of people who were engaged in the informal sector and who were dependent upon daily wages lost their only means of survival due to the lockdown. In my country, India, more than 80-90% of the workforce work in the unorganized informal sector and people like street vendors or workers engaged in the tourism, hospitality and industrial sectors were the first to lose their livelihoods due to the lockdown. When industries, businesses and institutions started downsizing their staff, it was generally women or lower status workers who lost their jobs first. These people are the most vulnerable classes, not only in the social sphere but also in relation to COVID-19, as they reside in slums without social distancing, hygiene or accessibility to masks and sanitizers (which became costly due to hoarding and unfair trade practices). These people sufferer the worst as they cannot afford private medical services after being denied treatment by government hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result of increased unemployment and the economic recession is going to be very severe, my friend. If we talk about poverty, it is estimated that nearly 400 million people will fall into poverty and nearly 1.4% of the population will be in extreme poverty. This not only makes our task of achieving zero poverty or hunger by 2030 very unlikely, but will also have socio-political ramifications. One of these is the high drop-out rate of students from poor backgrounds. You know that education and human resource development is one of the most effective ways to get out of this vicious cycle of poverty and we both know its value in our own life. A large number of students could not continue their education due to economic reasons and due to the lack of a smartphone or internet connectivity. Some of these children, especially girls, may not ever go back to school and many may be forced into child labour or into some criminal activity. This lockdown has increased the crime rate, with an increase in cases of domestic violence due to isolation, as well as theft, burglary and suicide. In my country, there is also a problem with migrant workers, as most of these people went back to their villages due to the inability to survive in the cities and many of them died or faced difficulties due to the nationwide shutdown of public transportation facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My friend, while the world is facing economic depression, it has been found that the world\u2019s ten richest men\u2019s combined wealth increased by $540 billion, deepening the already existing disparity, inequality and mistrust. According to Oxfam, it will now take 14 times longer to recover to pre-existing levels due to the rise in inequality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Supposing I have come by a fair amount of wealth \u2013 either by way of legacy, or by means of trade and industry \u2013 I must know that all that wealth does not belong to me; what belongs to me is the right to an honourable livelihood by millions of others. The rest of my wealth belongs to the community and must be used for the welfare of the community”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Mahatma Gandhi, Father of India<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gandhi believed that it is the duty of the rich to serve society, and this is the time when they should come forward and make voluntary contributions, when it is estimated that around 12,000 people a day could die due to starvation. He believed that these people are only the trustees of society. Regardless of whoever is regarded as \u2018owning\u2019 the money and resources, these belong to society as a whole and should only be used for the welfare of society. I believe that this will generate trust and respect among the classes. I believe that this is the right time for them to help society, especially as the same workers have laboured in their companies for years. If they do not respond to this, then they themselves will face the repercussions in the future. My friend, we know the socio-political repercussions of this rising poverty and inequality in society and I believe that we owe a positive obligation to society and we should contribute through our professions for the welfare of society, otherwise the vicious cycle will continue and our societies will face never ending conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your friend, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Akshay Chopra<\/p>\n\n\n\n

27-FEB-2021, Delhi<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cher Akshay <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Le virus d\u00e9nomm\u00e9 COVID-19 a frapp\u00e9 le monde entier depuis 2019, \u00e0 un moment inattendu et o\u00f9 nous n\u2019\u00e9tions pas pr\u00e9par\u00e9 mais qui s\u2019est av\u00e9r\u00e9 propice au d\u00e9veloppement d\u2019une pand\u00e9mie, qui a \u00e9branl\u00e9 le monde. Le virus en question s\u2019est r\u00e9pandu dans chaque endroit du monde entrainant avec elle des maux et probl\u00e8mes que les hommes, \u00c9tats, nations, organisations n\u2019ont pas pu g\u00e9rer facilement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Les plus grandes cons\u00e9quences de la COVID-19 dans le monde furent la pauvret\u00e9 (la diminution des ressources et de certains moyens de subsistance dans les pays d\u00e9velopp\u00e9s et la d\u00e9gression encore plus manifeste dans les pays dits en voie de d\u00e9veloppement et les pays sous-d\u00e9velopp\u00e9s) et la manifestation des in\u00e9galit\u00e9s au sein du monde et dans la quasi-totalit\u00e9 des pays qui le composent au regard des budgets qui devraient \u00eatre allou\u00e9s dans le secteur de la sant\u00e9 \u00e0 l\u2019improviste, du march\u00e9 de l\u2019emploi qui fut limit\u00e9, de l\u2019accessibilit\u00e9 aux services publics comme l\u2019\u00e9ducation qui lui aussi fut limit\u00e9,\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n