Basic Information
Poverty is the lack of basic human needs, such as clean water, nutrition, health
care, education, clothing and shelter, because of the inability to afford them. This is
also referred to as absolute poverty or destitution. Relative poverty is the condition
of having fewer resources or less income than others within a society, country or
compared to worldwide averages. Poverty in Pakistan is a growing concern, as it is
a developing country. Although the middle-class has grown in Pakistan to 35
million, nearly one-quarter of the population is classified poor as of October 2006.
As of 2008, 17.2% of the total population lives below the poverty line, which is the
lowest figure in the history of Pakistan.
Causes of Poverty
• Lack of education:
The literacy rate of Pakistan is very low. Most of the
people do not have any concept about the modern earning sources. Most
people are unable to adopt technology for their business needs, that’s why
business do not meet international standards and results as decrease in
revenue which lead the society to poor financial conditions.
• Materialism:
In our society social bonding are gradually becomes thinner
and thinner. A race of material object has been started even no one tried to
understand the problems of others. Everyone is gradually changing from
human to a bio-man which only know about his needs and have no concept
about the limitations of others. People are not ready to help each other. At
last everyone has lose his trust on others which affect our social and
economic system and it is another cause of poverty.
• Large Scale Import:
The import of Pakistan is greater than export. Big
revenue is consumed in importing good every year, even raw material has to
import for industry. If we decrease import and establish own supply chains
from our country’s natural resources. The people will have better
opportunities to earn.
• Division of Agricultural Land:
Pakistan is an agricultural country. Most
of the people are farmers by profession. One has land, which is fulfilling the
needs of his family but he has to divide the land into his children when they
got young. After division, the land is not sufficient to support a family. Now
the families of his children are suffering and spending their lives below
poverty line.
• Moral Culture:
The main reason for poverty is the social dishonesty and
irresponsible behavior of people. Everyone is trying to get rich by using
unfair means. A shop keeper is ready to get whole money from the pocket of
customer. People doing jobs are not performing their duties well. In society
the man considered brave or respectful who do not pay taxes or continuously
violate the laws. This irresponsible behavior continuously increases and
produces loss for the country.
• Criterion of Poor:
The criterion of poor is that if a person is not earning
US $367.00 per is year considered poor but this was repeated later on the
criterion is changed and now it’s US $ 2.00 per day.
Effects of Poverty
• Diseases are more widely spread because poor people cannot afford hygienic
foods and pure drinking water which is much expensive.
• Many infants born into poverty have a low birth weight, which is associated
with many preventable mental and physical disabilities. Not only are these
poor infants more likely to be irritable or sickly, they are also more likely to
die before their first birthday.
• Poor families experience much more stress than middle-class families.
Besides financial uncertainty, these families are more likely to be exposed to
series of negative events and “bad luck,” including illness, depression,
eviction, job loss, criminal victimization, and family death
• Homelessness, or extreme poverty, carries with it a particularly strong set of
risks for families, especially children. Homeless children are less likely to
receive proper nutrition and immunization. They experience more health
problems. Homeless women experience higher rates of low-birth-weight
babies, miscarriages, and infant mortality, probably due to not having access
to adequate prenatal care for their babies. Homeless families experience
even greater life stress than other families, including increased, family
relationships, and friendships.
Solutions to Poverty
• The full equality between men and women in public as well as private areas
of life, a worldwide minimum wage of $20 per day and the end of child
labor under the age of 16 with the creation of a subsidy for scholarship.
• The guarantee of shelter, healthcare, education, food and drinking water as
basic human rights that must be provided free to all.
• A total redistribution of idle lands to landless farmers and the imposition of
a 50% cap on arable land devoted to products for export per country, with
the creation of a worldwide subsidy for organic agriculture.
• An end to private monopoly ownership over natural resources, with a
minimum of 51% local communal ownership in corporations, which control
such resources as well as the termination of intellectual property rights on
pharmaceutical drugs.
• The cancellation of third world debt with no reciprocal obligations attached
and the payment of compensation to Third World countries for historical as
well as ecological debt.
• An obligation of total transparency for any corporation with more than 100
employees and a 1% tax on all benefits distributed to shareholders of
corporations to create unemployment funds.
• The termination of tax havens around the world as well as free flow of
capital in developing countries.
• An equal voting for developing countries in international organizations such
as IMF, World Bank, WTO, and the termination of veto right for the
permanent members of the UN Security Counsel.
• A commitment by industrialized countries to decrease carbon emission by
50% over a ten-year period as well as reducing by 25% each developed
country%u2019s consumption of natural resources.
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