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In 2000, world leaders came together and committed to eradicate the extreme poverty that affects 1.4 billion people living on US$1.25 a day. And like people all round the world, Australians are becoming more concerned about and aware of global poverty, and what they can do to help.
But people with disabilities are often unintentionally left out of poverty reduction activities.
We know that poverty and disability go hand in hand, creating a cycle that’s hard to escape. And that’s why we’re working hard to ensure people with disabilities are included in the fight against global poverty to end the cycle.
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Campaigns like Make Poverty History and Micah Challenge are improving awareness of the extent of global poverty, the progress we are making towards eradicating poverty, and the part we can all play to end extreme poverty in our lifetime.
The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aim to halve the number of people living in extreme poverty by 2015. They bring focus to what we need to do to reduce poverty and provide eight clear goals to make it happen.
However, people with disabilities are often unintentionally left out of poverty reduction activities.
The World Bank says: While people with disabilities make up 10% of the world’s population, they are over-represented in the poorest of the poor: one in five people living in poverty has a disability and they are the most disadvantaged people in their communities.
Disability and poverty: the facts
- 82% of people with disabilities live below the poverty-line
- 9 out of ten children with disabilities are excluded from primary education.
- The under-five mortality rate for children with disabilities is as high as 80% in some countries.
- Unemployment rates for people with disabilities are as high as 80%.
- Women with disabilities are among the most marginalised, facing discrimination based on gender and their disability, making the poverty cycle even harder to escape.
This link between poverty and disability creates a cycle where disability is both a cause and consequence of poverty:|
Disability as a cause: Disability contributes to poverty at the individual, family and community level through barriers of discrimination, attitudes and institutionalization as people with disabilities often experience limited access to rehabilitation, education, skills training and employment. This exclusion only serves to entrench poverty.
Disability as a consequence: Extreme poverty causes disability through things like poor access to nutrition, health care, clean water and sanitation and unsafe working conditions.
Sign the End the Cycle statement
Use End the Cycles resources to learn more
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