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Violence is any form of intentional action taken towards anyone, which results in injury,
harm or other kinds of deprivation to the latter. Although, every form of violence brings
pain, insult or difficulty to an individual, but poverty is the worst form of the same. It is
repeated, merciless, multi-faceted, and has diversified sources. A non poor person may well
revive of the violence. His wounds heal easily as compared to a poor. But a poor is attacked
from various sides and even nature releases wrath on him. His being a poor only is a
violence for him.
Poverty can be defined as basic deprivation of a person, which disables him access to food,
drinking water, health, safety, shelter, clothing, and other basic amenities. Poor has to suffer
all forms of violence , be it , physical or non physical, psychological or mental. His rights are
a mere joke on him, as they are rarely enforced or protected. He has to suffer violence in
different aspects of his life and survival. These include various spheres- economic, health,
education, livelihood, social, political, administrative, legal, natural disasters, international.
Starting with economic poverty. It deprives a poor from all basic necessities like food,
drinking water, shelter, clothes, sanitation, education, health, transport etc. India has
around 25% population below the poverty line. Food insecurity is rampant and large
number of people remain on one meal per day. 40% of the children are malnourished. A
famine releases its wrath on this segment of the population only. They generally live hand
to mouth and survive on the edge of hunger. Other aspects mentioned above arise from this
basic economic deprivation only.
Taking the first aspect of Health. It includes food, drinking water and sanitation too. A poor
person is most prone to diseases. This being a result of unhealthy food and water available
to him, especially in cities. In rural areas too, their traditional sources have been polluted.
Unhygienic sanitation, a compulsion to them, leads to various other diseases. According to a
survey, still 56% of Indias population thrives on open defecation. Almost every poor is
included in this share.
Further, due to this, they fall sick repeatedly. Then comes next issue of access to health
facilities. Lack of public facilities and costly health treatment in private sector, ensures that
he remains outside the purview of Right to health. Also the basic drugs have become
expensive owing to collusion of various forces. The doctors, nurses and other hospital staff
also treats a poor person with apathy, as revealed in most cases, especially in urban areas.
Next effect is Education. Education leads a person to dignity, self respect, knowledge,
livelihood and prosperity. Being a poor, also comes as a violence in this form. A poor is
unable to send his ward to schools. One reason is economic and other is need for help from
children in their households and livelihoods. Seen in most cases, large number of children
drop out from schools at primary or elementary level only.
Lack of education reflects in other violence or abuses against him too. He is unable to reap
benefits of government schemes. He fails to get his rights protected. He is harassed by the
rich and powerful. He falls in the trap of money-lenders. Even shopkeepers/ dealers loot
him owing to his illiteracy. Administrative and Legal dimensions shall be covered later,
although they also rise from this deprivation.
Then comes the livelihood issue. A poor owing to his limited power and innate deprivation
and dependency on livelihood, lacks to urge to resist to inhuman or wrong treatment meted
to him. Poor working conditions, low salaries and wages, long working hours are some
common things which are associated with a poors employment. The casual labour allows
the employer to fix his own terms and also remove the person on his wish. Child labour and
forces labour have still not been eradicated from the country. Even Manual Scavenging
continues.
Poor children , fall in the trap of employers and work as domestic maids for low wages and
long working hours. Even other forms of abuse life trafficking of women, prostitution and
sexual assaults follow from it. Powerful are easily able to escape the law, after committing
such crimes against poor, due to latters weakness and inability to fight for their rights. Also
their voices are not heard by society and administration.
Fourthly, social violence is to be taken by the poor. He is viewed with apathy, disrespect,
hostility, pity and charity. He fails to lead a life of dignity. Social boycotts and isolation is
frequent for him and his children. Generally it is seen, parents of rich often restrict their
wards to befriend children of poor and stop them from playing with them, if they do so.
Society as whole hesitates to engage with these people. In a festival like Holi, no one likes to
share their happiness with poor community and colour their faces too. A poor has to live
with a downtrodden status.
A road argument between a rich and a poor always results in the defeat of the latter. Even if
the former is at fault, he shall not ask for apology and later has to compensate for it. But if
the same scenario occurs with another dignified personality, he would not hesitate to ask
pardon. He feels cheated and unwanted in various walks of life, be it education,
employment, friendship, relationship, marriage etc.
After this comes the state deprivation. It includes all the political ,administrative and legal
apathy towards a poor. Although poor are an important vote banks for the politicians, but
they remain important only in the election year. Although much is done by the government.
Various schemes, programmes, rules, subsidies etc are given. But still a politician remain
inaccessible to his constituencys poor. A poor cannot walk to his MP/MLA and ensure the
work done. Politicians feel the freebies, given once in 5years is sufficient to gain their trusts
and so is the case. Poor peoples land is treacherously transferred and sold to big companies.
Tribals are pushed off their traditional forests. Their resettlement, rehabilitation finds much
less importance, once the work is completed. Large tracts of people are estranged from their
hutments and their homes are demolished by bulldozers. They are left to wonder. Politics is
played over humanity and there is no follow up of the tall promises made in the election
manifestoes.
Similarly, administrators who are considered to be public servants, rarely remain so. On the
other hand, they are the ones, who are seen to be imposing most harsh treatment on the
poor. Taking the case of police. They have maintained their british legacies of atrocities .
They regularly target the poor for money and if refused, impose heavy punishment on him.
Street Vendors, Rickshaw drivers, tea stalls, beggars etc, all have to bear this brunt by their
public servants.
Administrators like patwaries, district officials, fair price shop owners, corporation workers
etc all are included in this violence. Patwaries are often found colluding with rich person, in
offering him his services. Poors marginal land is transferred and he is left to wonder.
District officials take regular bribe for petty jobs like ration card, birth certificate, death
certificate, etc. Public Distribution System has failed to ensure food security, because one
prominent reason is leakages by public officials. Food seldom reaches the poor. Other rights
of poor are also neglected. Corruption comes as a violence to poor.
Legal dimension also needs a mention here. Although Judiciary has an image of protector of
poor and given landmark judgments like bringing PILs or starting Mid Day meals etc. But
still, a poor if wants to enforce his rights, is unable to do so owing to his lack of legal
knowledge and inaccessibility of lawyers. The languid and lackadaisical judicial system often
breaks the back a prosperous citizen, then what to say about a poor. Despite the
fundamental right given to every citizen to seek remedies from court, a poor either does not
know his right or is unable to apply for it or is not heard owing to large number of cases.
Then comes the wrath of disasters. In cases of disasters, both human and natural, it is the
poor which gets pressed under the force. Be it the case of droughts or cyclones or
earthquakes. It is the poor, who loses his unrecoverable shelter and employment. Despite
relief from authorities, he is left with limited resources and forced to migrate under distress.
Many people are left homeless, stranded, without food and water, and left to wonder and
die. Lack of relief further accentuates their woes.
Even in case of human disasters like Industrial accidents or Construction failures. The poor
is the worst affected and loses the most. Large casualties and fatalities occur due to these
accidents. Casual Labour working at site, or workers in factories and their families in the
vicinity, are the most vulnerable and often have to sacrifice their lives in such scenario.
Instances such as Bhopal Gas Tragedy or recent failure of a large building in Mumbai can be
quoted.
The diseases and epidemics also affect to poor worst. In the event of famines, malaria, and
other communicable diseases, they remain most vulnerable to be effected by it.
Lastly, referring to the international dimension, taking a poor country as a whole.
Prosperous countries often exploit and neglect the poor countries. Poverty is one of the
reasons for propelling of colonialism and imperialism. Poor countries are often not heard
when important international commitments are finalised. Decisions are taken to their
disadvantage. Although much has changed in recent decades, when bodies like UN, WHO,
UNICEF and concepts like Human Development, Millennium Development Goals have
come, but still it is found that poor countries have to often face exploitation. Climate Change
is one such example. It is bound to affect the poor countries, the most. Rich countries have
reaped the luxuries of industrialisation , and continue to do so, without any thought for
these countries.
Therefore, it can be seen that poverty leads to various forms of violence at various levels and
different degrees. Every walk of their life is affected by poverty. They face violence in
different forms from different people throughout their existence. They suffer from
indifference such as physical, social, educational, health, livelihood , politico-administrative,
legal and international , as mentioned above. These violence given them permanent as well
as repeated temporary scars on their lives. A poor person fails to live with dignity and feel
the power of rights. Thus it can be concluded that Poverty is the worst from of violence and
every violence appears small and curable in front of poverty.