Global social issues

Global Social Issues

Poverty

• Poverty refers to not having enough material possessions or income for a person’s needs. It is a social issue as it affects humans’ ability to access necessities, such as food, shelter, education, and healthcare.
• Extreme poverty refers to the severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter.
• It is often measured as relative poverty, a condition where people cannot afford normal living standards which is determined by the society they live in.

Inequality

• Inequality involves disparities in the distribution of economic assets and income. It is often classified into several types such income, wealth, gender, age, or racial inequality.
• There are wide disparities in wealth distribution across the world. High levels of inequality can negatively impact social cohesion, economic advancement, and human development.
• Gender inequality remains a major barrier to human development. It concerns discrepancies in status, opportunities, and attitudes between men and women.

Global Migration

• Migration is the movement of people from one place to another with the intentions of settling, permanently or temporarily, at a new location. It can be voluntary or forced.
• Forced migration includes displacements caused by natural disasters, development projects, or conflict.
• Migration can lead to issues such as human trafficking, prejudice, and disrupted social structures in both departure and arrival locations.

Human Rights

• Human rights are universally agreed legal principles or norms that describe certain moral and social standards of human behaviour. They are regularly articulated and defined in international law.
• Issues include violations of these rights such as repression, torture, and imprisonment of political prisoners, as well as social bias and discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity, gender, or faith.
• Human rights organisations monitor these abuses, lobby for changes in laws, and provide support to victims.

Impact of Globalisation

• Globalisation is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. It has been spurred by advances in technology, communication, and transportation.
• Globalisation can lead to a variety of social issues such as exploitation of labour, loss of cultural identity, increased gap between rich and poor, and increased spread of communicable diseases.
• On the other hand, it can also provide benefits such as access to new ideas, cultures, and resources, and potential for economic development.

Environmental Degradation

• Environmental degradation is a process through which the natural environment is harmed, often due to human activities. This can lead to a range of related social issues.
• Climate change, deforestation, pollution, and loss of biodiversity can impact livelihoods, particularly in developing countries heavily reliant on natural resources and agriculture.
• Impacts of environmental changes can also result in displacement and conflicts over resources.

Effects and Response to Social Issues

• Global social issues have a broad and wide-ranging impact on society, with effects on health, development, stability, and quality of life.
• Solutions to these issues often require cooperation between governments, NGOs, and individuals at local, national, and global levels.
• Advocacy, legislation, development programmes, and resource allocation can all be used in response to global social issues.