Poverty: A Denial of Choices and Opportunities, A Violation of Dignity - Research Paper

Introduction

The United Nations defines poverty as 'a denial of choices and opportunities and a violation of human dignity' (Mack 1). Poverty can also mean the lack of fundamental capacity to participate in society effectively. This condition of poverty also means not having enough to cloth and feed your family, not having resources to afford healthcare treatment, not having land to cultivate or grow one's food and indeed no job to earn a living. According to the statement by the UN, poverty also means the exclusion of households, individuals and communities. It also could indicate the presence of violence and high standards of living that make affordability an issue.

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Particular areas in the world are to the danger of poverty. Such areas are found in Asia and Africa. There are so many other countries in Africa where citizens are unable to secure a meal at the end of the day. It is also a standard view that central part of Africa and Sub-Saharan countries have most of its people struggle to earn at least 3 dollars a day. The central African Republic forms part of Sub-Saharan Africa and is one of those countries struggling with the evil of poverty. This paper looks into the issues of poverty in the Central African Republic and seeks to find reasons why the country is poor and underdeveloped. Using several indicators such as living standards, health, external debt, GDP, population, political conditions, internal trade, urbanization and more, this paper attempts to strengthen the belief that the Central African Republic is weak and underdeveloped. This composition also creates a section using one indicator to discuss why this factor is critical in explaining the country's state of underdevelopment and poverty. In the end, this paper provides suggestions that the Central African Republic can implement to solve the problem of poverty.

Indicators of Poverty in the Central African Republic

Living Standards

Living standards are high with fewer people being able to afford basic needs. Thousands of citizens are displaced and continue to search for refuge sites in the city. These refuge sites also have poor sanitary conditions making living standards poorer thus contributing to underdevelopment.

Absolute Poverty

The recent state of the Central African Republic is amidst extreme poverty. Extreme poverty has resulted in abuse against innocent citizens, violence against each other and massive displacement. A wider population of the country is suffering, and the negative impact of the poor economy causes a vicious circle of vulnerability thus accounting for high poverty levels.

GDP

The Central African Republic continues to remain the least in the list of developed economies in the world. The country's GDP stands at 3.4 billion dollars with an average of $677 per capita. The lower GDP has also been a major factor behind the country's bad poverty levels.

Income Inequality

Income inequality determines poverty levels using individuals and their total incomes (Khalifa 7). Income distribution is uneven throughout the nation. The slow growth in per capita has failed to create enough jobs for a large portion of the country's citizens. Many people are unemployed; economic performance is poor. Corruption in the country makes resources available to a few officials and excludes the rest of the population.

Population

The Central African Republic has a population of approximately five million. The country remains to be poor because about sixty-two percent of its population lives on less than 1.90 dollars per day. The incredible rate of poverty in the Central African Republic is due to having majorities of its population live below the poverty line.

Urbanization

The myth that 'relocating to the city would lead to greater security and high income' is widespread in the Central African Republic. With more people settling in the city, the rates of unemployment in the city has escalated generally making city dwellers overwhelmingly poor. Because of poor living conditions in the city, the urban landscape has also failed to provide labor opportunities while those working are poorly paid thus contributing to underdevelopment and high poverty levels.

Health

According to Indicators data, health is measured by life expectancy, death rate, incidences of diseases among others (The World Bank 1). For its meager population of five million, life expectancy at the Central Republic of Africa is at 43 years. This is because of the huge number of people living with HIV with most of the country's population is highly exposed to many other fatal diseases such as malaria, rabies, and hepatitis. The country continues to remain poor because it is tough for them to meet the high cost of drugs required for treatment. Poor health among citizens means lack of energy to work and acquire basic needs thus high levels of poverty.

Education

Primary and secondary school rates of enrolment continue to remain low generally. Very few children can continue with school. Education is generally low because a high number of school going children are being kidnapped and forced in recruitment camps and army groups. The very high rates of poverty also make it hard for families to send their children in school thus making it hard for the population to acquire skills of empowerment. With less education, the Central African Republic population is unable to empower themselves out of poverty.

Environmental Degradation

Environment problems also contribute to high levels of poverty and underdevelopment. Drought, desertification, and loss of biodiversity caused a severe reduction in agricultural productivity which directly influences the ability of the country to grow food that would sustain the population thus high poverty.

International Trade

How is it possible that one of the richest countries in the world is the poorest? The sad reality in the Central African Republic is that because of the illegal trade in the country's resources, the country's resources have been barred from international trade, and this has fueled the process of poverty, conflict, and underdevelopment.

External Debt

External debt gives the total private and public debt owed to residents and the amount that is payable to international agencies. Currently, Central African Republic debt stands at, and because of this huge amount, the purchasing power of the government is weakened thus unable to provide residents with new development opportunities.

Foreign Finance

Numerous groups worldwide have provided finance to aid the situation. However, international finance has focused on providing emergency relief throughout the country but not provide development opportunities. At the same time, foreign aid most times end up in the hands of greedy officials thus denying citizens of the necessary support for development.

Political Conditions

Problems of political instability worsen the incredible rate of poverty in the Central African Republic. Political instability is the greatest reason why the country has remained poor and underdeveloped and stuck in an abyss of high rates of poverty. With political instability, poverty has grown even further because development cannot happen.

Political Instability and Government Mismanagement

Government mismanagement and political instability are the two factors which I believe had hindered economic growth in the Central African Republic and subjected citizens to abject poverty. Many international and global companies have suffered in the hand of the government due to mismanagement thus contributing to the severe decline in the country's economy. Poverty and underdevelopment have also been provided by political instability because of chronic budgetary problems with the same administration being unable to gather sufficient revenue to compensate workers. This, in turn, has fueled violence and social tensions making the country unstable. The government has exploited the valuable economic assets of Central African Republic. Arable agricultural lands, potential export and imports and abundant supply of electricity among other factors are reliant on the peace of the country and political stability. And when there is no stability, resources become scarce; jobs are lost, there are low levels of private investment thus exposing the country to deeper levels of poverty and under development.

Solutions to End Poverty

A perfect solution to end poverty and under development in the Central African Republic is a diversification of its economy. As part of recovery, the administration should have its attention on livestock, international trade, health, sanitation, housing, energy, tourism, infrastructure, and the private sector. An audit should be conducted on all these sectors to revise policies and decree a framework of transparency. Diversification of the economy will allow the country to create more opportunities that citizens will take up thus enabling them to at least earn a living from the new jobs created.

Another recommendation that would change the state of the country is the development of human capital (International Monetary Fund 11). There is a problem with supply in the country, particularly in the education sector. The government in conjunction with international agencies should focus its activities on constructions of school and learning equipment to improve the quality of teaching. In the health sector, human capital should be increased by increasing healthcare infrastructure in numerous regions. Strengthening the health department will see to it that citizens are in perfect health; thus a higher ability to take up job opportunities. In the area of entrepreneurship and employment, a technical committee could be set to introduce a national forum that will develop a policy on vocational training and employment. For instance, if a new labor code is drafted in the National Assembly, the country can have several youths benefit from apprenticeship training and other people receiving assistance from funds created for revenue generation.

To promote a sustainable and robust economy that depends less on external financing, the government can confront the situation of poverty head-on. By this, it means that the government should rise to the dynamic scenario of ensuring that its objectives for the country are stability, poverty reduction and growth. With this kind of solution, the government will mobilize both local and international resources and give priority to increasing which would, in the end, attract international events necessary for boosting the economy. Tackling the solution head on will also see the government prioritize security and peace situation to prevent a future outbreak of conflicts. This solution can only work when the government makes it a priority to study the status quo and make it a priority to prevent conflict, consolidate peace and restore security.

Conclusion

It is clear that the Central African Republic is going through many problems ranging from high external debt, political instability, income inequality, poor healthcare, and many other issues. As it has been pointed out in this composition, the major problem that makes the country remain poor and underdeveloped is political instability and poor governance. With these reasons, the government needs to implement practical solutions and programs to restore the economy of the country. The government and local administrations should make it a priority to restore peace, develop human capital and diversify the economy. A combination of these suggestions could bring back the status of the Central African Republic being a blessed country with resources. Works Cited

International Monetary Fund. Central African Republic: Pove...