Overcoming poverty by Ms. Shreya Jain
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Overcoming poverty by Ms. Shreya Jain
Overcoming poverty by Ms. Shreya Jain

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Nelson Mandela once said, “Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.

This article is not about addressing and resolving the global problem of poverty but about one particular day which is observed as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty which can be traced back to 17 October 1987. On that day, over a hundred thousand people gathered at the Trocadéro in Paris, where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in the year 1948, to honour the victims of extreme poverty, violence and hunger. A memorial stone by a French priest and humanitarian activist named Joseph Wresinski was also unveiled. They proclaimed that poverty is a violation of human rights and affirmed the need to come together to ensure that these rights are respected. Since then, people of all backgrounds, beliefs and social origins have gathered every year on October 17th to renew their commitment and show their solidarity with the poor.

This year would be the 30th anniversary of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty with the umbrella theme “Dignity for All in Practice”. This day honors the millions of people suffering from poverty and their daily courage and recognizes the essential global solidarity and shared responsibility we hold to eradicate poverty and combat all forms of discrimination.

Poverty is the state of being extremely poor but in reality, poverty is a chronic and debilitating condition that results from multiple adverse synergistic risk factors and affects the mind, body and soul. In a world characterized by an unprecedented level of economic development, technological means and financial resources, it is unfortunate that millions of persons are living in extreme poverty is a moral outrage. Poverty is not solely an economic issue, but rather a multidimensional phenomenon that encompasses a lack of both income and the basic capabilities to live in dignity. The dignity of the human being is not only a fundamental right in itself but constitutes the basis of all other fundamental rights.

Ending poverty is not just helping the poor but also a measure that would also save them from unsafe housing, dangerous working conditions, lack of nutritious food, unequal access to justice, lack of political power and limited access to health care facilities.
Eradication of poverty is a complex process but a much-needed one and that is why it is one of the UN sustainable development goals. There are numerous measures which are and should be taken in order to bring at par the different economic sections of the society which in turn would help in uplifting and transforming the entire humanity.