Introduction
Poverty is a widespread social problem affecting millions of people worldwide. In his speech, Gary Haugen discusses the causes of poverty and concludes that violence is a hidden problem that should be addressed and eliminated. His examples of people who were assaulted and left in danger, prove that the poor remain unprotected. In this paper, this issue is discussed in detail, focusing on specific social factors of discrimination.
Main body
Social class, poverty, and discrimination are interconnected notions, especially in terms of law enforcement. According to Haugen, corruption and chaos in the sphere of law make certain groups of the population discriminated against and unprotected. He encourages raising awareness about violence in the first place and sharing the necessary resources and knowledge. However, it is important to understand that the legal protection of the poor demands the understanding of multiple social factors connected to poverty and discrimination. For example, according to Heymann et al. (2020), racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to fall below the poverty line. In many countries, unequal constitutional rights based on race or ethnicity transform into discriminating laws and the lack of protection of marginalized populations (Heymann et al., 2020). Therefore, to develop law enforcement, the problem of inequality based on race and ethnicity should also be solved.
Age and gender are other social aspects that are closely related to poverty and discrimination and cannot be ignored. Haugen’s example of Griselda, a young girl from Guatemala raped on her way to school, proves that females from poor communities, especially girls and young women, are subject to different forms of violence. A related problem is the lack of education of children coming from poor families. Due to the constant risk of violence and discrimination, children from marginalized communities are unable to receive basic education. Consequently, without proper education, it becomes impossible to integrate into society. Therefore, gender and age issues and education are other aspects to which the governments of developing countries should pay special attention.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is possible to say that the problem of poverty, which is not usually obvious, is violence towards the poor. The sufferings of malnourished people are redoubled by the lack of legal protection and discrimination based on gender, race, and ethnicity. Therefore, besides financial and medical help and education, proper law enforcement is what should be provided to improve the well-being of poor communities.
Reference
Heymann, J., Sprague, A., & Raub, A. (2020). Advancing equality: How constitutional rights can make a difference worldwide. University of California Press.