At the start of a new century, poverty remains a global problem of huge proportions. Of the world's 6 billion people, 2.8 billion live on less than $2 a day and 1.2 billion on less than $1 a day. Eight out of every 100 infants do not live to see their fifth birthday. Nine of every 100 boys and 14 of every 100 girls who reach school age do not attend school. Poverty is also evident in poor people's lack of political power and voice and in their extreme vulnerability to ill health, economic dislocation, personal violence and natural disasters. MOREThere is more human suffering in the world than any of us can possibly comprehend. Were we somehow able to take it all in at once, it would surely drive us insane.
Mike TrederMalnutrition - The result of multiple causes, including a lack of food, common and preventable infections, inadequate care and unsafe water, malnutrition plays a role in more than half of the nearly 12 million deaths each year of children under five in developing countries, a proportion unmatched since the Black Death ravaged Europe in the 14th century. Malnutrition blunts intellects and saps the productivity and potential of entire societies. Poverty, one of the causes of malnutrition, is also a consequence, a tragic bequest by malnourished parents to the next generation. MORE
Starvation - Malnutrition contributes to the death of 11,000 children each day, according to statistics from the United Nations. One starving child dies every eight seconds. Meanwhile, considering the current state of unprecedented wealth in many Western nations, the existing food in the world could easily feed every woman, man and child. There are 826 million chronically hungry people in the world—792 million in the developing world and 34 million in the developed world—says a new report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. MORE
Crime - According to the United Nations, crime is increasing in scope, intensity and sophistication. It threatens the safety of citizens around the world and hampers countries in their social, economic and cultural development. Globalization has provided the environment for a growing internationalization of criminal activities. Multinational criminal syndicates have significantly broadened the range of their operations from drug and arms trafficking to money laundering. MORE
Violence - About 1.6 million people die violently each year around the world, accounting for about 3 percent of all deaths. Most of the victims are men, half are suicides, and 90 percent live in poor and middle-income countries. Even worse, public health experts say these statistics are just the tip of the iceberg with the majority of violent acts being committed behind closed doors and going largely unreported.
Of the global total of violent deaths, 49 percent are suicides, 32 percent homicides, and 19 percent the result of war. On an average day, over 1,400 people are killed in acts of homicide—almost one person every minute. Roughly one person commits suicide every 40 seconds. About 35 people are killed every hour as a direct result of armed conflict.
Per capita rates of violent death are twice as high in low- and middle-income countries as in the industrialized nations. In the Egyptian city of Alexandria, nearly half of all female murder victims are women who have been raped and are then killed by family members as an act of "cleansing." One third of rapes in Johannesburg are gang rapes, with boyfriends often participating. About 500 elderly women are killed each year in Tanzania as witches.
Numerous studies show that victims and witnesses of violence are more apt to act violently themselves. They are also subject to higher rates of physical and mental illness. MORE
Bondage - At this moment, millions of men, women, and children—roughly twice the population of Rhode Island—are being held against their will as modern-day slaves. Sometimes referred to as bonded laborers (because of the debts owed their masters), public perception of modern slavery is often confused with reports of workers in low-wage jobs or inhumane working conditions. However, modern-day slaves differ from these workers because they are actually held in physical bondage (they are shackled, held at gunpoint, etc.). Modern-day slaves can be found laboring as servants or concubines in Sudan, as child "carpet slaves" in India, or as cane-cutters in Haiti and southern Pakistan, to name but a few instances. According to Anti-Slavery International, there are currently over 200 million people in bondage. MORE
Mental Illness - "More than 80% of [the 50 million] people in the world with epilepsy are not receiving any treatment. Less than 25% of people suffering from depression are receiving treatment. Less than 25% of people suffering from schizophrenia are receiving treatment. The gap between treated and untreated is still tremendous and huge. We should consider the enormous economic loss due to the non-treatment of mental disorders. The cost for the world of not treating mental disorders is probably higher than the cost of treating them." - Dr. BENEDETTO SARACENO, World Health Organization
Depression - A five year study by the World Health Organization of the leading causes of death worldwide predicts that by the year 2020, severe depression will be the world's second largest killer. The study also found that depression accounts for a full 10% of productive years lost throughout the world. MORE
Dementia - "Dementia is a global problem. Two out of three people with dementia live in developing countries. There are currently 18 million people with dementia world-wide and this number will rise to 34 million in 25 years time. This is entirely due to the rapid aging of populations. People need to know that loss of memory is not a normal part of old age—it is a symptom of disease." - NORI GRAHAM, Alzheimer's Disease International
Death - In the time that it takes you to read this sentence, at least 10 real people will die, some of them helpless children, and some in horrible pain. Every single day 24,000 people die of starvation; 6,000 children are killed by diarrhea; 2,700 children are killed by measles; 1,400 women die in childbirth. All told, more than 150,000 humans die every day. It's time we started fighting back! MORE
Every individual existence goes out in a lonely spasm of helpless agony.
William James, Psychologist
What you see above is a collection of words and numbers. As awful as they are, they pale in comparison to the very real suffering and pain of even one living human person.
At this very moment, someone's child is dying. Someone's mother is being beaten. Someone's husband is being thrown into jail. Real people. Right now.
And, alas, this sad testament to our failings does not even begin to take into account the damage wrought to countless species of animals and plants throughout the world that face or have already suffered extinction at the hands of human ignorance or willful indifference.
It's not necessary. It doesn't have to be this way.
Are you ready to do something about it?
