According to Miller and Chen (2013), children that were raised in families with low socioeconomic status were more likely to develop respiratory illnesses, as well as some chronic illnesses, including autoimmune diseases and different types of cancers. Exposure to secondhand smoke, malnutrition, neglect and abuse can lead to the development of various diseases (e.g. respiratory diseases or lung cancer). Moreover, children who lived in such families often had poor self-regulation skills that could result in obesity or smoking/drinking (Miller & Chen, 2013). Santiago, Kaltman, and Miranda (2013) point out that different conditions related to poverty can also result in the development of PTSD, depression, and anxiety in children because of their exposure to violence. Such exposure can also lead to an increased risk of alcohol and drug abuse (i.e. development of addictive behaviors) (Santiago et al., 2013).
Single parents can be at risk of developing cardiovascular diseases due to the possible stress that is caused by the parents responsibility for the familys quality of life and the future of their child. Due to high exposure to stress, single parents who live in poverty can also suffer from insomnia and the resulting headache and mood swings, as well as a lack of concentration (Almendrala, 2016). Insomnia can lead to the development of depression and anxiety, as well as constant fatigue. As it can be seen, living in poverty adversely influences the physical and mental health of single parents.
There are multiple community services available in Phoenix, AZ metro area. For example, Fresh Start Womens Resource Center provides workshops, counseling, and other services for women who have to experience any transition (divorce, abuse, planned/unplanned pregnancy, etc.) in their life ( Best 10 community service , 2017, para. 3). Non-profit community organization Pathway for Youth mentors teenagers and young adults at risk. HandsOn Greater Phoenix is a non-profit organization that consists of volunteers who address and work on community issues (education, animal welfare, homelessness, etc.). St. Marys Food Bank Alliance provides free food for homeless people or people with a complex financial background ( Best 10 community service , 2017, para. 1). Emergency food boxes are supplied to those in need; the organization also provides child nutrition programs for children living in poverty, as well as recruits employees who face employment barriers to the community kitchen. The organization also offers volunteering programs for those who are willing to help resolve community issues.
As a nurse, I can help and counsel first-time mothers about the necessary activities performed throughout pregnancy that will decrease the risk of diseases common in single parents who live in poverty (mental illnesses, colds, chronic respiratory diseases, etc.). If necessary, I can help children with abusive parents/mentors seek help and educate them about the influence of abuse on their health and later life, as well as ensure that they receive the necessary support from the local government. Furthermore, I can also provide counseling services and education to teenagers from families that live in poverty to ensure that there are no unplanned pregnancies. Such adolescents often need to be educated about sexually transmitted diseases, as well as parental abuse. If an unplanned pregnancy can result in adolescent homelessness, I will need to consult them about pregnancy prevention methods and programs that can support them in case of parental abuse related to an unplanned pregnancy. Adolescents that are at risk of being malnourished can be consulted about the existing programs that provide free food and meals to families in poverty. Adults that live in poverty might not know about food stamps. My responsibility as a nurse will be to explain to them how they can initiate the process of applying for food stamps and guide them throughout the process.
Miller, G. E., & Chen, E. (2013). The biological residue of childhood poverty. Child Development Perspectives, 7(2), 67-73.
Santiago, C. D., Kaltman, S., & Miranda, J. (2013). Poverty and mental health: How do lowincome adults and children fare in psychotherapy? Journal of Clinical Psychology, 69(2), 115-126.
Currently, up to 22 percent of all board members that work for food banks and food diversion organizations additionally work for Fortune 500 companies. On the other hand, leaders and members of labor unions made up only 0.8 percent of all board members (Fisher, 2017). While reasons vary, they primarily suggest that these members are involved within these organizations as a form of social service and not social change. What this suggests is that a large portion of the leadership within these collectives aim to provide assistance and food but not to challenge the current system that fosters the related issues of poverty, unemployment, low wages, and hunger.
There are a number of benefits of hosting corporate individuals within organizations related to food and other necessary products. Primarily, it is because many of these board members are directly involved in the agricultural and food production business, either through farming, grocer firms, or supermarket management. Additionally, they are able to implement successful leadership and decision-making tactics within these organizations to effectively manage and allocate resources and food.
However, these individuals rarely address the inherent root of hunger. While food that is provided can improve the condition of individuals, the strategy does little to enhance the quality and fair distribution of health among groups that are categorized by various social determinants. Overall, the contributing factors that propel hunger are often related to inadequate wages, lacking social infrastructure, and even discrepancies between the ethnic and gender-based makeup of board members and the clients they serve. Essentially, the organizations often lack acknowledging long-term solutions by modifying labor markets, unequal social systems, and other direct obstacles to healthier and more accessible lifestyles.
The current approach to hunger is inadequate as it provides a short-term solution and no incentive for those that are marginalized to improve their conditions in the long run. The opportunities to become self-sufficient are limited and sometimes much more complex than relying on food banks. The cycle of poverty is partly propagated because offered employment cannot compensate for all needs, oftentimes including food, and bars individuals from attempts to seek appropriate employment, housing, and health services. The presence of corporate individuals as board members of food bank organizations is not inherently adverse, but their current approaches are inadequate at solving the crisis of hunger nationwide.
Reference
Fisher, A. (2017). Food banks feed people. Why dont they fight hunger? The Counter. Web.
Thanks to industrial, medical, and technological advancement, many people worldwide now have the privilege of a comfortable living surrounded by loving individuals. Unfortunately, not all people possess the same luxury of being in a safe environment and having a supportive circle. Indeed, millions of women are exposed to sexual abuse, are subject to human trafficking, live in poverty, and suffer from various addictions. Therefore, the non-profit organization that I would like to discuss is Thistle Farms. It helps the abuse victims move away from their traumatic experiences, regain confidence, improve mental health, and restore financial stability. I believe this issue deserves special attention since I know firsthand people who were severely traumatized after being sexually abused. In this short talk, I want to show you how even a small donation from you can change the lives of such women for good.
Discussion
As I said in the beginning, millions of women need help and assistance from the community to overcome poverty and heal emotional wounds caused by abuse. According to the statistical data from the World Health Organization, approximately 736 million female individuals of all ages are exposed to sexual abuse at some point in their lives (Naik & Mishra, 2022). Furthermore, according to the 2018 U.S. census, among all people living in poverty, 56% were women, corresponding to more than 21 million people (Bleiweis et al., 2020). Despite various federal programs to fight poverty, these figures do not seem to improve. Conversely, it appears that the problem worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic since many women lost their jobs and hence financial stability and some were exposed to domestic abuse amid the lockdown. While it is vital to raise awareness of the overwhelming numbers, it is of utmost importance to find the solution and help those in need.
Many non-profit organizations across the states are eager to help women with traumatic experiences, and Thistle Farms is one of them. According to this organizations official website, its mission is to help women survivors recover and heal from prostitution, trafficking, and addiction (Thistle Farms, n.d.). This non-profit enterprise provides a sanctuary for women and sells handmade products made by the victims to raise money. All this money is used to provide financial aid to those who want to heal from trauma, provide supportive housing, and help them regain financial independence. So, if you wonder how you can help Thistle Farms and these women, let me explain.
The contribution to any non-profit organization that helps women not only saves lives but ensures comfortable living. Donations can help provide victims with therapy sessions, which help them work on their traumas. Additionally, financial aid can help provide appropriate housing and nutrition to women since many victims do not have access to such resources. Thistle Farms (n.d.) believes donation gives a woman a safe place to live, a meaningful job, and a lifelong sisterhood of support that will help her live a life that she never thought was possible. Trust me, in this situation, any amount of money raised can contribute to a good cause.
Thistle Farms offers several ways people can contribute, which constitutes monetary assistance and psychological support. You can purchase a variety of its home and skin care products to support the victims of abuse. You can directly donate via the buttons Give Today or Apple Pay. The donations vary in size and can be in any amount one wishes. Please note that it is possible to choose a one-time donation or a recurring one. Moreover, individuals can volunteer at local non-profit centers to help women in need.
Conclusion
Now, you know how many women are affected by poverty and sexual abuse. While charity can contribute to a better life for a victim, simple emotional support is always encouraged. Donations can come in different sizes, but they ensure stability in the lives of victims, providing them with jobs, housing, and proper nutrition. Helping a woman who was a victim of sexual abuse, addiction, trafficking, or poverty does not have to be financial; thus, anyone can participate in protecting the lives of millions of victims.
Naik, C., & Mishra, B. K. (2022). Domestic violence in COVID-19 pandemic situation: A study of population in western Odisha. International Journal of Home Science, 8(2), 221223.
The following is a proposal for a project aimed at reducing the rate of poverty in the North Miami Beach community through initiatives increasing college attendance rates. It is theorized that it would be more efficient to address the children attending high school and familiarize them with financial opportunities available to them. The hypothesis is that an intervention approaching the stigmas of college amongst high schoolers will translate into a decreased poverty rate in the North Miami Beach community.
The proposed intervention program will focus on the students in the last semester of the 9th and 10th grades and the first semester of the 11th and 12th grades attending the client schools. The raw materials the project requires are minimal, with the brochures and pantalets containing information about scholarships, financial aid, and dual enrollment produced for the purposes of educating the students. The program will take place on the property of the schools within the Miami-Dade County school district.
The proposed program will include homeroom sessions with counselors, homeroom teachers, and financial aids advisors. These sessions will address the students perception of college and acquaint them with the existing scholarships, federal financial aid, and other opportunities they can access in order to afford higher education. In addition, current college students will be invited as guest speakers to share their college experiences and reduce bias. The project aims to reduce college stigma to increase college attendance rates. Research illustrates that high school students from low-income backgrounds are more likely to decide against college due to uncertainty, bias, and loss aversion (Dynarski et al., 2018). Thus, it is necessary to decrease uncertainty rates and bias among students by introducing them to different financial support systems. All students will be evaluated concerning their perception of college, the dual enrollment programs, and their knowledge on whom to ask for help. These dimensions will serve as the primary measurements of the provided service.
The proposed program will be assessed by a range of rating scales, questionnaires, and interviews to measure the perception of higher education and the bias against college education among high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The projects budget is not expected to exceed $261,750.00, with $227,500.00 being assigned to the wages and salaries of the invited professionals. Other expenses will include the purchase of needed supplies, equipment, printing, and duplicating. The project will be financed primarily by the Saltman Family Foundation and a variety of third-party payments. Approximately 25% of the program budget will be covered by government grants and a donation from Mackenzie Scott, a philanthropist known for supporting projects advocating equity (Parks, 2020). The financial support provided to the project will cover all the necessary expenses of the program.
The proposed project is estimated to have several vital impacts on the North Miami Beach high school students and community:
It is expected that high school students will engage in more conversations about college and request information about higher education from school counselors.
It is anticipated that the number of students aware of different financial support avenues, including scholarships and federal grants, will increase in each district school by 100%.
Admission in dual enrollment programs is estimated to rise by approximately 30%.
Consequently, the anticipated primary impact of the project is the 10% reduction of poverty rates in the North Miami Beach area.
It is important to note that poverty is a highly complex and multifaceted issue, which can be increased or decreased by a range of factors, such as housing, health, and other policy elements. In the United States, poverty is defined as a households family income being equal to or lower than the poverty line, which was $33,148 as of 2021 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2022). In Atlanta, Georgia, poverty has been persistently high and increasing in recent years, reaching 20% value and making it one of the poorest states in the US (U.S. Census Bureau, 2022). Thus, one might wonder about the underlying drivers of an increase in poverty in Atlanta, Georgia. The key causes of the high poverty rise in the city include housing policies and instabilities, the lack of transit services and public transportation infrastructure in suburban areas, and childhood poverty.
Housing Policies and Instabilities
Firstly, housing cost is the prime factor causing the persistent and gradual increase in poverty in Atlanta, Georgia. A study on housing stability and evictions found that subsidized rental properties have substantially lower eviction rates than market-rate properties do (Harrison et al., 2021, p. 411). In addition, a senior, subsidized multifamily rental building is expected to have an annual eviction rate that is 10.7 percentage points below that of a nonsenior, market-rate property (Harrison et al., 2021, p. 411). In other words, these findings suggest that eviction rates increase in recent years has been a strong driver of poverty in Atlanta, Georgia, where a high reliance on market-rate housing led to greater eviction levels. The lack of government interventions in terms of subsidies, at least for older properties, made housing instability a serious catalyst behind eviction and high housing costs. Essentially, rental properties are becoming unaffordable to many city residents.
Moreover, the housing practices in Atlanta, Georgia, disproportionately affect vulnerable poor and Black communities through serial filings, which massively aggravates housing stability. Research suggests that the largest owners and larger buildings tend to have high serial shares & neighborhood race is a strong independent predictor; properties in Black neighborhoods have substantially higher non-serial filing rates (Immergluck et al., 2020, p. 903). Therefore, people with lower income rates tend to live in larger apartment buildings with few or single landowners. Any change in the market rent rate incentivizes the latter to engage in serial filings. Black communities have higher non-serial filing rates because their evictions are successful on the first filing. In other words, housing instability greatly impacts poor people as well as people of color.
Transit Services and Public Transportation Infrastructure: Suburban Areas
Secondly, the lack of transit services and public transportation infrastructure in suburban areas has been another critical reason for the increase in poverty in Atlanta, Georgia. A study found that more poor people are living in the suburbs compared to the city centers, and thus, the lack of access to public transportation is a major poverty driver in these regions (Pathak et al., 2017). It is stated that on average, after controlling for neighborhood characteristics, census tracts with better access to public bus transportation have a higher proportion of low-income households in both the central city and the suburbs (Pathak et al., 2017, p. 198). Thus, suburban areas are becoming poorer as a general trend not only in Atlanta but the US in general. Public transportation allows people with low socioeconomic status to work and commute to the city center sustainably. The lack of proper means of transportation forces the poor to use a more expensive mode of transportation or not have access to jobs in the center at all. This results in the form of gentrification and aggravation of an already growing trend of suburban poverty.
However, if one looks at poverty rates in various areas of Atlanta, Georgia, it becomes evident that poverty is becoming decentralized. The latter term refers to the phenomenon that poverty in the city center is not improving, but it is spreading to city suburbs, which means it is no longer constrained to the central areas making it decentralized (Wang & Woo, 2017). It is stated that the trend toward the decentralization of poverty has become evident in many metropolitan areas and underscored the need to improve suburban transit services (Wang & Woo, 2017, p. 183). Therefore, the current state of suburban transit services and the decentralization of poverty is the prime reason why the issue is becoming more prevalent in the city.
Childhood Poverty: Health
Thirdly, it should be noted that childhood poverty growth is significantly contributing to the general poverty increase in Atlanta, Georgia. The largest segment of people affected by poverty are children (U.S. Census Bureau, 2022). A study found that children from households with low socioeconomic status have more adverse health outcomes to environmental pollution, indicating that there is a relationship between poverty and the health of children (OLenick et al., 2017). The connection is rather evident since poverty translates to poorer nutrition for children, which means more diseases and illnesses. If one factor in healthcare costs and the lack of insurance among the poor, the current situation puts poor children and their families at a greater risk of becoming as well as remaining below the poverty line (OLenick et al., 2017). In essence, the existing situation in Atlanta, Georgia, creates an environment where cards are stacked against the poor, making it difficult for them to have a place to live, build families, and work. Therefore, poverty among children in Atlanta, Georgia, is a major contributor to the overall poverty increase in the city.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the causes of high poverty and its increase in Atlanta, Georgia, include housing policies and instabilities, the lack of transit services and public transportation infrastructure in suburban areas, and childhood poverty. Firstly, housing cost is the prime factor causing the persistent increase in poverty in the city, with eviction rates increasing in recent years. The latter has been a strong driver of poverty in Atlanta, Georgia, where a high reliance on market-rate housing led to greater eviction levels making rental properties are becoming unaffordable to many city residents. The practice aggravates housing stability since any change in the market rent rate incentivizes the latter to engage in serial filings. Secondly, the lack of public transportation infrastructure in suburban areas has been another reason for the increase in poverty. The current state of suburban transit services and the decentralization of poverty are reasons why the issue is becoming more prevalent in the city since public transportation allows poor people to commute to the city center. Thirdly, it should be noted that childhood poverty growth is contributing to the general poverty increase because children are the largest poverty segment.
Issues of poverty and hunger are fundamental to the problems of modern society. While science, culture, and public education in politics and economics are on the rise, the problems of unemployment, hunger, and poverty remain. It would be logical to conclude that identifying critical solutions requires a complete examination of the cause-and-effect relationship to emerging negative trends. Thus, analysis is essential for proposing a possible sequence of actions to resolve the issues mentioned above.
First, the exact cause of hunger, predominantly among the poor, must be determined. Except for a few countries with natural problems with food supplies, the source is a lack of financial resources. Without enough money to pay rent and utilities and to eat adequately, lower-class citizens consequently choose to have their housing. As a counterbalance to this problem, the government creates all kinds of funds, social programs, benefits, and night shelters with cafeterias. However, based on available statistics, in the ratio of people suffering from a lack of food to the number of measures to prevent hunger, many citizens remain hungry most of the time (Tyagi, 2017). Subsequently, the cause in this case serves as a path to a solution more social programs are needed, and wealthy citizens should be encouraged to become beneficiaries for the hungry. Such a decision would create a positive trend toward solving the above problem.
An alternative solution way may also be conducted by identifying a second significant problem. Following the analytical rhetoric, we can further discuss why people cannot afford to pay for both housing and quality food. Without delving into the specifics of economic processes, a superficial series of statements is required. It is a well-known fact that taxes paid by citizens form the state budget. Moreover, the reason for the states existence is the fair distribution of benefits and support for people. With budgetary resources, the state must directly support the poor. Bypassing the bureaucratic processes and instances through which social payments pass, the solution would be to eliminate the need to pay taxes to those who do not have sufficient means. However, to prevent such a system from being exploited by unscrupulous people, a commission should be established to verify the accuracy of the income of the citizen claiming to be poor. Thus, by combining this solution with the one described above, hunger and poverty can be effectively combated.
Pictures have long been used to convey different messages throughout history. They have been used for cultural, political and other events in the society to put emphasis or communicate more directly to the audience. This paper seeks to use a series of pictures representing poverty in Africa to identify how pictorial representation describes the intended event, crisis or situation; they knowledge they create and whether they produce any differing views in the reader/viewer.
The series of pictures shown above highlights the issue of poverty in Africa. These pictures have been published online to show the world the gravity of the poverty situation in the African continent. Indeed the pictures communicate a lot and can evoke an emotional feeling to anyone who sees them. The pictures represent the suffering of majority of the African people as a result of many historical injustices and political conflicts.
The website that shows this picture does not offer much description, it only mentions that poverty is in the eye of the beholder. The pictures shown above are very graphic and will give authentication to any story describe the problem of poverty in the African society. Poverty leads to starvation which is the worst form of malnutrition resulting into emaciation. The children shown in the above pictures are extremely emaciated. This implies that they have gone for days without food due to lack of means of getting food.
These pictures highlight the issue of poverty because its clear that the children shown have no access to any basic need but they do not offer more details of what may be the cause of the poverty portrayed. Its important to note that the causes of poverty are widespread.
People can become poor due to ignorance, extreme whether conditions that result into draught, wars and conflicts, poor governance and exploitation. The above pictures do not offer much evidence as to what might be the real cause of poverty. However, the crowding might indicate that these are refugees fleeing from a conflict zone or trapped in remote place with no food water and other basic needs.
This do not come as a shock to fellow Africans or even people from other societies. The entire world knows that poverty as a disease affects Africa many times more than other regions of the world. African countries always come at the bottom of any indices that measure quality of life. The pictures only confirm what is already known the world over.
The world also knows that Africans are responsible for their own poverty. The above pictures may get people talking about how African governments are not doing much for their people. But its not the failure of African governments that precipitates these extreme cases of starvation.
The African problem is much bigger than just governance. Indeed corruption and other vices seen in most African governments are things that should not be encouraged at any time. However, it should be appreciated that there are other causes of poverty that are much bigger and difficult to tackle.
The biggest of them all is the issue of land. Sub Saharan Africa has enough arable land that can feed many more people however. However, land has been a thorn in the flesh since the scramble and partition of Africa and the subsequent colonial rule. Many African communities were pushed away from arable land to pave way for large scale farming by colonial governments.
At the time of independence the lands were shared among few privileged Africans or retained by white settlers who wished to remain. This led to millions of people becoming landless or squatters. Most of these large tracts of land are currently held as ranches or horticultural farms that grow crops for export. The other portions are largely underdeveloped but owned by influential Africans or settlers who have several other means of generating their income.
Majority of the population are trapped in endless conflicts. Others fighting to retain their communal land and others fighting as squatters who were brought there during the colonial period.
There are several guerilla wars that are sponsored by foreign governments competing for African resources. This guerilla wars that are disguised as liberations movements displace millions of people leaving them vulnerable to poverty.
African governments are in most cases poor and cannot contain the guerilla conflicts because they are sponsored by rich foreign governments with interests in African resources.
There are also several other African problems that precipitate the above poverty conditions. The refusal to change from the traditional ways of farming makes the population to be vulnerable to the effects of drought. Poor land legislations and high illiteracy levels are other issues that contribute to this kin of situation.
Its therefore important for any viewer or reader to identify the other aspects that may be creating the situation depicted in the pictures rather just to simply blame Africans for their problems.
Mixed method approach will be utilized because it employs the strengths of both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The methods complement each other by overshadowing their weaknesses. Qualitative research is applied at the beginning of the study since it uncovers the underlying issues that cannot be addressed by statistical models. Finally, data is carefully analyzed, interpreted and summarized mathematically. This demands the exploitation of quantitative research designs.
Theoretical Foundation/Conceptual Frameworks
This is the theory of methods through which we can identify social reality. It is a systematic way of research and reasoning that facilitates generation of public administration knowledge. The process of finding out or theorizing can be done in two ways.
Deductive Theorizing
This is the natural science approach whereby researchers begin from what they know before proceeding to the unknown. Data collection is driven by theoretical interest meaning that the propositions made can be falsified or tested.
Theory
Research Questions formulation
Hypothesis setting
Research process
Confirmation of the findings
Inductive Theorizing
In this theoretical foundation, there are no pre-conceptions because theories emerge from data or observation. Facts speak for themselves in this approach hence data determines the type of theory. This type of conceptual framework is less biased hence being referred to as grounded theorizing.
Research
Patterns of themes
Tentative hypothesis propositions
Grounded theory
Gaps
The emerging trouble is substantiated by gaps between social research and social service administration. A few gaps seem to have their basis in fundamental education by social workers and researchers. Consequently, they are the right disquiet of the discipline of social work. Social service managers identify that data and records are vital in the management of an organization operating in a huge part of the populace existing in extensively spread regions. The position of research and statistics in undertaking social-counting work is not queried. It is after the research method is used in other tribulations of the charity that gaps emerge between management and research. Other grounds that seem to be elemental distinctions consist of thinking, which may perhaps have ancestry in the fundamental schooling and familiarity of social service administrator and the research worker.
Assumptions, Limitations and Delimitations
Social research is founded on sense and pragmatic remarks. It pertains to the relations between thoughts and verification. Thoughts assist social researchers to create a sense of facts, and researchers employ verification to enlarge, amend and analyze thoughts. Social research therefore tries to generate or authenticate theories through information gathering and data scrutiny and its objective is discovering, accounting and elucidating.
Controlling and Managing Bias
Preconceived notion influence the validity and reliability of conclusions, and therefore impinge on administrative decisions. Prejudice in research alters accuracy while at the same time it skews facts in mixed method administrative research. To keep from prejudices, a researcher should avoid loaded words and leading questions in constructing questionnaires. Knowledge assumption bias such as not assuming that respondents have the information that they are seeking and asking respondents questions that lower their statuses should be avoided.
Logical Fallacy
The multifaceted issue myth relies upon milieu for its result. The reality that a query presupposes something does not itself formulate the subject to being mythical. Conversely, an assumption by itself does not have to be an erroneous belief. It is undertaken when a researcher poses a problem that presupposes something that has not been established or acknowledged by the entire population under study.
Implications for Future Research
Future scholars in public administration will utilize the findings of this study. The conclusions are vital in developing a theoretical framework for future scholars. This means that whatever has been established in this research cannot be reproduced without proper citation. Knowledge is always cumulative hence future scholars will build their research foundations from this theory.
Contributions to Discipline and to Social Change
The research findings can be employed in solving problems facing rural and urban Cameroon. The research will establish various models that can be utilized by decision makers in non-governmental organizations to solve immediate problems afflicting the society.
Poverty-stricken youths are vulnerable to engaging in criminal activities. The studies indicate that poverty is one of the leading causes of crime among young people. The majority of individuals fear paucity and tend to lose hope when they find themselves incapable of earning a considerable amount of money for their upkeep. In the contemporary world, social status is defined by an individuals economic status (Nilsson, Backman, & Estrada, 2013). People live in neighborhoods, which are organized according to their financial situations. The young people desire to live in communities that are better than those that they grew up in when they become adults. The desire to live a better life contributes to the youths engaging in crimes, thus the increase in cases of juvenile delinquencies amid low-income families. Teens view crimes as a simple way to accumulate wealth.
Background
Most studies define poverty as the inability to meet basic human needs that include food, shelter, and clothing. There has been significant economic development in many parts of the world today. Nevertheless, the majority of the worlds population is poor and lives in deplorable conditions (Shildrick & MacDonald, 2013). According to Shildrick and MacDonald (2013), economic dualism continues to increase with the growth in economic development across the globe. The studies indicate that the fear of poverty is the primary cause of melancholy in the world. Poor people feel neglected by governments because of the inability to access basic provisions such as clean water and sewerage system, good road networks, health facilities, power, and security. On the other hand, rich people have access to essential amenities regardless of the countrys economic growth and development.
Also, poor people feel as if they are victimized. The majority of them believe that rich people have acquired their wealth through dishonest means. Consequently, the country is said to promote social injustice against its population by failing to bridge the gap between the poor and wealthy citizens. According to Nilsson et al. (2013), poor youths believe that criminal activities could help to mitigate the effect of social injustice and prompt the government to provide excellent services to all people.
Causes of Poverty
Different factors are attributed to poverty in society. However, economic status plays a significant role in determining poverty levels in a community. Developed countries have higher chances of eradicating poverty in their communities by providing good education, quality health services, job opportunities, and food security to citizens. Education is the ultimate solution to poverty in society (Thompson, Bucerius, & Pridemore, 2013). The youths who have access to quality education have higher chances of living a comfortable life in their adulthood than those who do not get an opportunity to study. In the United States, the law obliges parents to enroll their children in schools. The government enacted the law to reduce poverty and guarantee an economic balance between the different races and communities.
Impoverished people live a miserable life. Scholars claim that there are varying levels of poverty (Sutherland, Brunton-Smith, & Jackson, 2013). While some people have challenges meeting basic needs, others are destitute. Individuals who are poor have a possibility of improving their life if given an opportunity. People can enhance their lives by working hard and exploiting any opportunities that come their way. However, individuals living in insolvency can hardly improve the quality of their lives because of poor health and, most often, the lack of skills required for one to engage in productive employment. The governments make an effort to try and protect their citizens from getting to the extreme levels of poverty by providing health services, education, job opportunities, and security.
Research indicates that unemployment is one of the leading causes of poverty in most developing countries. As more youths complete their education and fail to secure jobs, they become desperate and turn to crimes as a way of earning a living (Sutherland et al., 2013). Today, technology and not human capital drive economic development. Many organizations have dismissed their staff after adopting the technology, which they consider to be efficient and cost-effective. The governments feel incapacitated by increased pressure from the high unemployment rate and the desire by organizations to utilize technology.
According to Fuller (2016), unemployed youths lose hope for a better life and opt to seek other methods of acquiring money, which would enable them to lead a better life. They consider delinquency as the only quick way to get money. In most cases, youths carry out criminal activities in gangs. They often participate in illegal activities such as drug trafficking, which are currently prevalent among adolescents. Fuller (2016) maintains that young adults recruit teenagers into crime, promising them to make a substantial amount of money.
Areas Where Poverty Is Prevalent
Youth-related crimes are high in densely populated areas. According to Fuller (2016), a majority of the poor people live in densely populated areas, particularly slums that are adjacent to the main cities. The areas are safe hideouts for criminal gangs. The groups members operate by instilling fear in the members of society. They warn the public of dire consequences if it happens to report them to the authority. Also, they conceal their activities by recruiting young children and youths as drug traffickers. The criminal gangs also use juveniles to gather intelligence and to alert them in the event of an ambush by law enforcement agents. Hence, some environments can lure youths into criminal activities without their will.
There are significant distinctions between the privileged and the underprivileged in the society. The privileged live in less populated neighborhoods and have adequate space for their families. On the other hand, the disadvantaged live in congested areas, and their children cannot get a chance to engage in constructive outdoor activities. Sutherland et al. (2013) allege that poor people live in locations where events that occur in the neighborhood affect the lives of every resident.
According to Sutherland et al. (2013), most affluent families comprise an average of three kids. Conversely, many low-income families are made up of an average of five children. The parents do not bear children based on their financial abilities. Consequently, they cannot provide basic human wants to the kids, leave alone enrolling them in school.
Research indicates that households that do not practice family planning are vulnerable to poverty. Increased population leads to a rise in the level of unemployment and high pressure on social amenities like health services, education, and security. Low-income families cannot afford quality education, food, and health. Therefore, kids from families are vulnerable to juvenile crimes as they look for ways to support themselves.
How Society Can Prevent Juvenile Delinquency
Society can prevent minors from engaging in criminal activities. A countrys political system has a significant role to play in ensuring that youths do not participate in illegal activities. The government should prioritize the provision of essential services that might deter crime among young people. The school system should also be structured in a way that children can learn at an early age about the dangers of engaging in criminal behaviors. The society should let the kids appreciate that poverty is not a permanent condition or a sign of failure. They should know that one can overcome poverty by studying to become productive in the future.
The society should provide efficient health services to underprivileged families and educate the parents about the significance of family planning. It would guarantee that parents give birth to a number of kids that they can manage to support. It would go a long way towards ensuring that all children have access to education, thus preventing them from engaging in juvenile delinquency at an early age. The society has a duty to teach kids good morals at a young age and discourage them from keeping bad company. Mostly, peer pressure contributes to children who are morally upright joining criminal groups. Therefore, society and parents, in particular, should monitor their children to ensure that they keep good company (Sutherland et al., 2013).
On the other hand, the government has a role to play in ensuring that kids do not engage in juvenile delinquency. It should establish a youth system that can rehabilitate kids before they get accustomed to crimes. Curtis (2014) alleges that behavioral correction methods can deter youths from engaging in criminal activities, even in adulthood. Therefore, the juvenile system would serve as a long-term solution to illicit activities in society.
The society requires conducting civic education to enlighten the youths on the dangers of using drugs or engaging in drug trafficking. Drug trafficking is a major juvenile crime in most developed countries. It would be difficult for society to prevent children from poor backgrounds from engaging in the vice as they consider it as the only way that they can make quick money. Nevertheless, enlightening the kids on the dangers of drug trafficking can result in them looking for alternative ways of making money. The society should ensure that the youths know the various avenues of earning income. Moreover, they should understand that engaging in juvenile delinquency can ruin their life completely. Curtis (2014) argues that access to illegal firearms contributes to kids engaging in juvenile delinquency. The society should work with law enforcement agencies to ensure that children do not access firearms. Moreover, the government should enact legislation that controls the sales of guns to make sure that they do not fall into the hands of criminals. The parents who own guns should ensure that they secure them. They should not allow their kids to hold or play with the guns as it may encourage them to engage in crimes just to use the weapon.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there is a close relationship between poverty and juvenile delinquency. Poor people choose evil because they consider it as a simple way to get money and protest against social injustice. However, the youths are the most vulnerable to criminal activities. Poor people live in highly populated areas where there is no access to proper education and health services. Their households comprise many children, thus exerting pressure on the available resources. Society can prevent youths from engaging in crimes by enlightening them on the dangers of criminal activities. It can also work in partnership with the government to ensure all kids enroll for education.
References
Curtis, A. (2014). Tracing the school-to-prison pipeline from zero-tolerance policies to juvenile justice dispositions. Georgetown Law Journal, 102(1), 1254-1265.
Fuller, J. (2016). Juvenile delinquency: Mainstream and crosscurrents. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Nilsson, A., Backman, O., & Estrada, F. (2013). Involvement in crime, individual resources, and structural constraints: Processes of cumulative (dis) advantage in a Stockholm birth cohort. British Journal of Criminology, 53(2), 297318.
Shildrick, T., & MacDonald, R. (2013). Poverty talk: How people experiencing poverty deny their poverty and why they blame the poor. The Sociological Review, 61(2), 285303.
Sutherland, A., Brunton-Smith, I., & Jackson, J. (2013). Collective efficacy, deprivation, and violence in London. British Journal of Criminology, 53(1), 1050-1074.
Thompson, S., Bucerius, S., & Pridemore, A. (2013). Unintended consequences of neighborhood restructuring: Uncertainty, disrupted social networks, and increased fear of violent victimization among young adults. British Journal of Criminology, 53(5), 924941.
It is a well-recognized fact that there is a close association of poverty and underprivileged health conditions. In this paper I make an attempt to describe the role of poverty in the health care system in our society based on the knowledge I gained after reading the book Staying Alive, by Dennis Raphael, Toba Bryant, Marcia Rioux. It is imperative that I present my perception of poverty first, before proceeding further in the paper.
Poverty is an economic condition under which individuals, families and other societal groups have a deficiency of resources that are required to thrive on a particular type of diet, take part in societal activities, and possess the amenities and living conditions, which are habitual or at least popular and encouraged in the society they live in. It can be further classified into absolute poverty where the affected do not have the capability to make ends meet, and relative poverty which refer to the circumstances under which the afflicted do not have the capacity to partake in the regular activities of day-to-day livelihood.
Main body
The speedy advancement in fields of information science and knowledge technology has made the world a better place to live in. Various opportunities for the progress in all human accomplishments have led to the course of scientific growth. Regrettably, the advances in living standards have failed to create a fair and beneficial environment for all sects of the society in an identical fashion. While going through various research articles on relevant issues I came across an astonishing finding that the population, which exist under severe poverty ridden conditions, is more likely to suffer from chronic ailments, are prone to recurrent and rigorous disease complexities and require more attention of the existing health care policies.
As financially impoverished families make great efforts to provide for basic requirements such as rations, lodging and the ever-escalating expenditures on energy, health expenditures usually end up as one of the bottom few on the priority roll. I also realized the dreadful impact of poverty on a nations children. Poor children are more prone to experience health tribulations, for example obesity, heart ailments and asthma that go on with their prolonged effects during later life.
The book Staying Alive brings forth various critical perspectives amongst which I found epidemiology to be a key concept to understand the issue. Let me first explain the meaning of epidemiology prior to going deep into the issue. It is the study of health and relevant determining factors in definite populations with an unstated objective of making progress in health conditions. The concept dates back to more than 150 years ago when John Snow studied the people afflicted by cholera.
I feel that the study of health issues should be largely oriented at the level it is being considered. Just like health of a single cell would be treated using a different as compared to the health of a human individual in terms of nutrition and habits, factors such as socio-economic status, income levels, beliefs etc. should also be considered when health is being studied on diverse planes of organization in the likes of communities, provinces or countries.
For example, it is illogical ask a cell to exercise, stay away from smoking, eat healthy food etc. Similarly, there are a lot of population oriented factors which make no sense at the individual level just the way in which the individual oriented factors such as eating habits, exercising, timely sleeping, exist, which make no sense at the cellular level. The success of an epidemiological project depends greatly on how well the relevant questions are framed. Asking the wrong question to the wrong population may result in outcomes of the observation going off course. Unless people of the population, used as samples for statistical observation, are identical in significant respects desired results might not be achieved.
It should be noted in this context that the poor and deprived people in a country suffer the most due to environmental degradation. With the advent of industrialization and modernization more and more villages are converted into towns, cities, forests are cleared, and trees are increasingly cut down for utilizing the land for construction of industries and for other uses. These clearing of forests have adversely affected the lives of poor people who depend on forests and forest products for their livelihood. Deforestations again lead to lack of rain, soil erosion and drought, which not only devastates the life of people but also adversely affects the overall progress and development of the country.
It should be noted that environmental pollution devastates the lives of people and as well effect progress and development of a country terribly. In every country low-income people, who are generally poor and deprived, live are mostly exposed to the harsh effects of nature and environment. These people generally live in dilapidated dwellings located in shabby places. These places generally have poor sanitation and lack in water supply. These unhygienic living conditions in these places result in spread of infectious diseases and famines. Poor people living in urban areas are mostly the victims of atmospheric pollution.
These people generally live in highly polluted unhygienic industrial areas or near waste dumps. Working environments in some production units are very perilous. In industries, the precipitation areas have caustic vapors, which can cause severe skin problems. In some production, unit people have to work in fluoride environment. Continuous exposure to such an environment may lead to a specific disease called Fluoric, which severely affects bones and teeth of the infected person. In all most, every industry less interest is shown towards the safety and benefit of the workers and hence the unhealthy working conditions seriously damage the health of the workers. These factors reduce both life span and working ability of the people, which lead to poverty.
Environment issues have great effects on human conditions. On analyzing human conditions, links have been found between the environment and poverty. The environment of any place influences primary aspects of human life and nature like health, vulnerability and livelihoods. Each country depends on its natural resources for progress and development. People depend on natural resources to earn their livelihood. The environment of a country is the primary source of natural resources.
Epidemiology brings up astounding findings in particular cases. Richard Wilkinson, a famous epidemiologist, came up with a theory that the economic fissure between the rich and the poor in a society has a direct correlation the health of the population. He supported this theory by relating life expectancy and income distribution, i.e. the income of the least privileged 70 percent of the population. Such results have upheld the cause for population health studies.
After reading, various epidemiological reports I can undoubtedly state that being on the relatively poorer segment of the society is an appalling condition as far as health issues are concerned. Even lack of egalitarian standards can be detrimental for the health of a population. Further findings reveal that for nations with lower Gross Domestic Product (GDP) life expectancy rises with GDP growth. In such nations, providing for basic amenities like drinking water rations and lodging become a high priority. Once that condition is satisfied, other population factors such as socioeconomic status and degree of egalitarianism come into play.
However, epidemiologists in todays world just deal with the research and findings phase of an issue. They are not included in the action phase. I feel that there is an absolute necessity for a much more optimistic and action oriented procedure in order to achieve and enhance health standards. Poverty appears as a curse on the human race. It has an immense role to play in health care system, which in turn depends on various factors like political economy and social class categorizations. I strongly feel the inevitability of considering various factor associated with poverty about health policies of the authorities of the society under scrutiny.
Conclusion
However, in conclusion, it should be noted that just because a scientific, technological or economic procedure is present, the society should not use it in its favor without considering the long termed ramification of the society itself. There should be an ethical consideration of all scientific, technological and commercial usage and aspect of poverty and the right to live should be a serious part of this ethical measure. It can be used in many ways for the betterment of the society but society must not be motivated by social taboos and use the available resource to its short-term benefit. This is where the elements of social workers and policymakers become such an important instrument.
The social workers and policymakers are the individuals who can motivate the privileged sector of the society to adapt good sense and restrain from using the scientific, technological in a wrong and unethical manner with help of economy that supports them.
References
Raphael, Dennis, Toba Bryant, Marcia Rioux, Gary Teeple; Staying Alive: Critical Perspectives on Health, Illness, and Health Care; Canadian Scholars Press, 2006.
