Poverty and Crimes Essay Example

and reformer, conducted a study on impoverished communities in London which led to the establishment of a poverty line based on subsistence levels. According to this standardized measure, around one third of London's population lives in poverty.

The argument suggests that poverty is mainly caused by factors beyond the control of individuals living in poverty, especially low and inconsistent wages. Identifying the root causes and consequences of poverty is a difficult task, but it is closely related to economic and social issues. The causes of poverty include population growth, lack of education or knowledge, unemployment, inadequate incomes, high taxes, absence of industrialization, income disparities, inflation, scarcity of charitable organizations, early marriages,
rising divorce rates,
physical and mental disabilities,
overreliance on agriculture,
greed,
famines,
wars,
and insufficient government policies for citizen welfare.

The graph displays how the percentage of the global population living in extreme poverty changed from 1981 to 2008, according to data from the World Bank. In 1995, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) designated it as a year dedicated to combating poverty. Additionally, October 17 is internationally recognized as a day devoted to eradicating poverty. The Chronic Poverty Research Center (CPRC), which was established in 2000 and received initial funding from the UK’s Department for International Development, is an international collaboration involving universities, research institutes, and NGOs.

In Pakistan, there exists a connection between poverty and crime due to individuals facing limitations caused by limited economic resources and earning opportunities. These constraints make it difficult for people to meet their basic needs and access essential services like healthcare, education, transportation, clothing, nutritious food, and adequate housing. As a result of unmet life necessities frustration often arises.

This frustration results in the commission

of crimes, as poverty is considered unacceptable by all except for the devout religious dervishes or sufis or mystics. Even ordinary people expect a certain standard of living, which agrees with George Bernard Shaw's assertion that "very few individuals can afford to be poor", a statement that remains completely true.

Poverty and crime are closely intertwined, although not all impoverished individuals are criminals and not all criminals are impoverished. However, it is often those in poverty who are more prone to engaging in criminal behavior. The causes and effects of poverty significantly contribute to these crimes. In reality, everyone has an equal potential for wrongdoing. So what prevents us from resorting to criminality? Is it our innate goodness or a lack of rational thinking? Perhaps if we were less fortunate and struggling for basic necessities, we would feel compelled to commit crimes. It is undeniable that those living on the streets, without shelter or enough food for themselves and their loved ones, cannot survive solely based on moral principles alone. It is this desperation that motivates impoverished individuals to seek solace through illegal activities.

The main cause of poverty is situational rather than innate. The existence of a wide gap in wealth between the richest and poorest worsens this issue. Poverty, as an economic problem, greatly affects people as they struggle to fulfill their basic needs and find a way out of their desperate situation. This extreme desperation is the root cause of different types of criminal behavior. As mentioned, "Crimes provide a means for impoverished individuals to acquire material possessions that they cannot obtain through legal methods."