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.

What is your definition of social exclusion?

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.”

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)

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!

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 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

What is your definition of Privilege? a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group of people.

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