Tackling Social Exclusion

Why do we care about social exclusion• So far we have mostly talked about social

exclusion because of the lack of human rights that come with exclusion

• BUT…• There are other important reasons too!• For example, the Department for

International Development says that reducing social exclusion will reduce worldwide poverty and help us achieve our MDGs in time.

The definition of social exclusion of the DID• “Groups of people existing in all societies who

are systematically disadvantaged because they are discriminated against. This can occur in public institutions such as the legal system, or in education and health services as well as in the household and in the community.”

How does poverty connect to social exclusion?• Men, women and children who are excluded

from society are also often excluded from participation in the economy or in politics therefore they are more likely to be poor.

• This means reducing poverty is a tough cycle to break!

Social Exclusion• There are lists of extremely excluded and

impoverished people, many of which you have researched.

• But, what happens to people that are doubly or triply excluded?

• Example: disabled, old, single women?

How do people become excluded?• In order to solve the problem we need to

understand how it happens in the first place• Exclusion occurs when powerful groups of

society create institutions and promote behaviors that reflect or enforce current social attitudes.– These leave no room for people

who are different• Sometimes this is on purpose and other times

it is unofficial discriminations that just reflect the society’s ideals (In indian schools dalits do menial tasks)

• Other times, it is just because people are unaware of others’ needs (disabled)

Can social exclusion cause poverty?• Currently, 891 million people in the world

experience discrimination based on their ethnic, linguistic or religious identities

• Because socially excluded groups don’t have access to resources, markets and public services in the same way they do not have an opportunity to increase their income by their own efforts

• Therefore, even when the economy grows these people are left behind

Social Exclusion and the Millennium Development goals• First…what are the MDG’s??• Unless programs are specifically designed to

help socially excluded groups, some really large groups will remain poor, uncared for and they will not be able to gain the rights they deserve

Poverty and Hunger• In Vietnam, 90% of the country is made up of

ethnic minorities• 100 million older people live on less than a

dollar a day• Women account for nearly 70% of the 1.2

billion people currently living in extreme poverty

Maternal Health and Child Mortality• In Brazil, nearly three times as many black

women as white women die from the complications of pregnancy and childbirth

• In India discrimination of girls increases the child mortality rate by 20%

• In guatemala, 79 out of 1000 indiginous babies and children die before their 5th birthday

Universal Education• In Serbia and Montenegro, 30% of Roma

children have never attended primary school• In Uttar Pradesh, primary school enrollment for

girls in low castes is 30% and it is 60% for girls from high castes

Gender equality• Women hold fewer than 13% of the world’s

parliamentary seats and less than 9% of the seats in developing countries

• 16-50% of women in steady relationships have been physically assaulted by their partners

HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases• In China, although ethnic minorities make up

less than 9% of the population, they account for 37% of HIV cases

• In Africa, 8-% of 15-19 year olds living with HIV/AIDS are women

• In Guatemala, 90% of children of European descent are vaccinated against measles compared to 70% of indigenous people

Social exclusion and conflict• Excluded groups are often denied a voice in

politics• When they feel too abused and marginalized

they may react violently• Or, they may feel that violence will give them

power• Examples

– Conflict between Hindus and Muslims in India

– Guatemala 20-year civil war– Rwanda genocide

Recommendations of the DID• Create legal, regulatory and policy frameworks

that promote social inclusion• Ensure that socially excluded groups still

benefit from public spending as much• Improve economic opportunities for excluded

groups• Promote their political participation and

empower them to utilize their voices• Increase acountability of individuals,

governments and groups to protect citizen’s rights

• Tackle prejudice

Social Exclusion vs. Privilege

Handedness…• Handedness is not chosen• Right handedness is considered

normal– Left-handedness was historically

deviant or sinister• Society may view left handed

people as awkward of strange and left handed people my internalize this

• Left-handed people may change their behaviors to fit the right-handed world

• Right-handed people are unconscious of the benefits they recieve

• Right handed people cannot avoid the benefits they receive even when they realize they have them