Ceriales, A. M. (2023, March 17). Mga Batas at Patakaran Laban sa Diskriminasyon.pptx.

SlideShare. https://www.slideshare.net/AbbhyMhaeCeriales/mga-batas-at-patakaran-laban-
sa-diskriminasyonpptx

Arellano Law Foundation. (n.d.). REPUBLIC ACT No. 11291. The LawPhil Project.
https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2019/ra_11291_2019.html

Seventeenth Congress

Third Regular Session

Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-third day of July, two thousand eighteen.

REPUBLIC ACT No. 11291

An Act Providing for a Magna Carta of the Poor

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippine Congress Assembled:

Section 1. Title. -This Act shall be known as the "Magna Carta of the Poor".

Section 2. Declaration of Policy. -It is the declared policy of the State to uplift the standard of living and quality
of life of the poor and provide them with sustained opportunities for growth and development. It shall adopt an
area-based, sectoral, and focused intervention to poverty alleviation where every poor Filipino must be
empowered to meet the minimum basic needs through the partnership of the government and the basic sectors.

It is likewise vital that the State complies with its international obligations to end poverty in all its forms, ensure
and promote the health and well-being of all.

To attain the foregoing policy:

(a) Investments in anti-poverty programs to enable the poor to fully participate in the country’s growth and
development shall be among the top priorities of the State;

(b) Full access to government services shall be provided to the poor by departments, agencies and
instrumentalities of the government;

(c) Interventions to address the genuine concerns of the poor will be strengthened, and long-term strategies and
solutions for the empowerment of the poor will be institutionalized; and

(d) Enhancement and promotion of capabilities and competencies of the basic sectors, the nongovernment
organizations (NGOs), the people’s organizations (POs), and other development partners for the effective
delivery and implementation of a wide range of anti-poverty programs and basic services through government
strategies and collaboration with development partners.

Section 3. Definition of Terms. -For purposes of this Act, the following terms are hereby defined:

(a) Basic Sectors shall refer to the disadvantaged sectors of Philippine society including farmer-peasants,
fisherfolk, workers in the formal sector including migrant workers, workers in the informal sector, indigenous
peoples and cultural communities, women, persons with disability, senior citizens, victims of calamities/natural
and human-induced disasters, youth and students, children, urban poor and members of cooperatives;

(b) Development Partners shall refer to NGOs, POs and private organizations and corporations that are engaged
in programs and activities aimed at alleviating the condition of the poor;

(c) Hazardous/Danger Zones shall refer to areas which, when occupied for residential or business purposes, pose
a danger to the life and safety of the occupants or of the general public;

(d) Nongovernment Organizations (NGOs) shall refer to duly registered nonstock, nonprofit organizations
focusing on the upliftment of the basic sectors of society by providing advocacy, training, community
organizing, research, access to resources, protection of the environment and conservation of natural resources
and other similar activities;

(e) People’s Organizations (POs) shall refer to self-help groups belonging to the basic sectors composed of
members having a common bond of interest who voluntarily join together to achieve a lawful common social or
economic end;

(f) Poor shall refer to individuals or families whose income falls below the poverty threshold as defined by the
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and/or who cannot afford in a sustained manner to
provide then’ minimum basic needs of food, health, education, housing, or other essential amenities of life, as
defined under Republic Act No. 8425, otherwise known as the "Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act". In
determining who constitute the poor, the Multidimensional Poverty Index determined by the Philippine
Statistics Authority (PSA) shall be considered;

(g) National Poverty Reduction Plan shall refer to the aggregation and consolidation of sectoral and local plans
through a bottom-up approach, from the Local Poverty Reduction Action Plan towards the formulation of the
national plan; and
(h) Progressive Realization shall refer to a process of implementation which will be paced according to the
availability of funds and which adjusts to the exigencies of the times.

Section 4. Scope of the Fundamental Rights of the Poor. -The government shall establish a system of
progressive realization or implementation to provide the requirements, conditions and opportunities for the full
enjoyment or realization of the following rights of the poor, which are essential requirements towards poverty
alleviation:

(a) Right to Adequate Food is the right of individuals or families to have physical and economic access to
adequate and healthy food, or the means to procure it. The Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD). the Department of Agriculture (DA), and other implementing agencies concerned shall:

(1) Undertake necessary actions to mitigate and alleviate hunger especially in times of calamities/natural and
human-induced disasters;

(2) Fully implement and maintain supplementary feeding programs in day care centers and schools;

(3) Ensure the availability, accessibility and sustainability of food supplies in a quantity and quality sufficient to
meet the dietary needs of poor individuals and families; and

(4) Proactively engage the poor in activities intended to promote their food self-sufficiency and strengthen their
access to resources and means to ensure food security.

(b) Right to Decent Work is the right to the opportunity to obtain decent and productive employment, in
conditions of freedom, equity, gender equality, security, and human dignity.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and other implementing agencies concerned shall:

(1) Ensure that the poor shall have access to information regarding employment openings in private enterprises
and in government programs and projects especially regarding available employment opportunities for families
displaced by calamities/natural and human-induced disasters or relocated from hazardous/danger zones;

(2) Ensure the compliance of private contractors and subcontractors doing national and local public work
projects, funded by either the national government or any local government unit (LGU), to till in thirty percent
(30%) of the skilled labor requirements by qualified workers who come from the poor sector and who are
residents of the LGUs where these projects are undertaken: Provided, That where the number of available
resources is less than the required percentage provided therein, said requirements shall be based on the
maximum number of locally available labor resources and shall be certified by the municipal, city, provincial or
district engineer as sufficient compliance with the labor requirements under this Act:

(3) Promote livelihood among the poor where implementing agencies shall provide technical and administrative
support to help the poor establish their livelihood enterprise;

(4) Ensure compliance with core labor standards, address the job and skills mismatch, and enhance human
capital through education and training; and

(5) Provide an environment for more inclusive tripartism to achieve more broad-based representation of interests
and make decision-making highly participatory through social dialogue at the firm and industry levels.

(c) Right to Relevant and Quality Education is the right to attain the full development of the human person. The
Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education
and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), in coordination with development partners concerned, shall:

(1) Maintain a system of free public education in the kindergarten, elementary and high school levels:
(2) Make higher education accessible to all poor individuals and families.1âшphi1 They shall expand the
programs of providing free or socialized college education to the poor, including student loans or study-now-
pay-later plans, in state/local universities and colleges, which may be made subject to reasonable academic
requirements; and

(3) Ensure access to quality technical-vocational education and training through scholarships, subsidies and
financial assistance to ensure access to decent and productive employment, subject to compliance to
qualification requirements.

(d) Right to Adequate Housing is the right to have a decent, affordable, safe and culturally appropriate place to
live in, with dignity, security of tenure in accordance with Republic Act No. 7279, otherwise known, as the
"Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992", in peace, with access to basic services, facilities, and
livelihood. The Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and other implementing
agencies concerned shall:

(1) Prioritize the implementation of the socialized housing program with identified appropriate subsidies;

(2) Immediately construct and provide housing facilities for families living in identified hazardous/danger
zones, and in areas affected by disasters/calamities where the housing needs of the poor are urgent:

(3) Create an enabling environment that will assist the poor gain access to security of tenure with the least
financial burden; and

(4) Provide a system consisting of simple requirements and procedures, and expeditious processing and
approval especially for community-based socialized housing/people’s proposals.

(e) Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health is the right to have equitable access to a variety of
facilities, goods, services and conditions necessary for the realization of the highest attainable standard of
health. The Department of Health (DOH) and other implementing agencies concerned shall:

(1) Ensure equitable access to a system of good quality health care and protection that is also available, and
accessible to the poor, in keeping with reasonable standards;

(2) Provide for comprehensive, universal, culture-sensitive, nondiscriminatory and gender-responsive health
services and programs, which include: (i) maternal and child health care and nutrition; (ii) access to ethical,
legal, medically safe and effective reproductive health services and supplies; (in) promotion of breastfeeding;
(iv) prevention and management of reproductive tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases, including
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS); (v) provision of
immunization against major infectious diseases occurring in the community; and (vi) prevention, treatment and
control of epidemic and endemic diseases;

(3) Reduce the financial burden of health care and protection of the poor through a socialized health insurance
program with the end view of totally eliminating out-of-pocket expenses; and

(4) Provide health-related education and information to the community.

Section 5. Non-Diminution of the Rights of the Poor. -All other rights of the poor provided under existing laws
shall remain in full force and effect. Nothing herein shall be construed in a manner that will diminish the
enjoyment of such rights by the poor who shall have the right to avail of greater rights offered by existing laws,
including those granted under this Act.

Section 6. Social Protection. -The government shall implement a sustainable mechanism to build an effective
social protection system to ensure the access of the poor to protection from any risk or contingency. The system
shall include social insurance, safety nets, social services, and labor market interventions, which shall be made
affordable and accessible. This social protection shall likewise be pursued in and during bilateral and
multilateral negotiations, including arrangements to be entered into with international financial institutions.

Section 7. System for Targeting of Beneficiaries. -The NEDA shall maintain and periodically review, in
consultation with PSA, a single system of classification to be used for targeting beneficiaries of the
government’s poverty alleviation programs and projects to ensure that such programs reach the intended
beneficiaries.

DSWD, in coordination with NEDA and the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), shall identify the
target beneficiaries.

Section 8. The National Poverty Reduction Plan (NPRP) and Enhanced Coordination and Convergence among
Government Agencies. -All government agencies shall formulate, within one hundred (100) days from the
issuance of the rules and regulations to implement this Act. a comprehensive and convergent plan to set the
thresholds to be achieved by the government for each of the recognized rights of the poor. This plan shall
consider development plans of provinces, cities, and municipalities. NAPC, with the technical assistance of
NEDA, shall be tasked to compile and harmonize these plans. The Department of Budget and Management
(DBM) shall likewise review the NPRP for inclusion in the budget of implementing agencies.

Section 9. Participation of the Basic Sectors and of the Local Government. Units (LGUs). -NAPC shall ensure
that the basic sectors and the LGUs are engaged in the formulation and implementation of the NPRP. The
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) shall monitor the compliance of the LGUs in aligning
their respective development, investment, and poverty reduction plans with the NPRP, and in implementing the
same.

Section 10. Funding Requirements. -The funding for the poverty alleviation programs and projects implemented
under this Act shall be sourced from the existing appropriations as authorized under the General Appropriations
Act (GAA) of the different departments and agencies implementing these programs including those enumerated
below:

(a) DSWD – Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), and
Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services National
Community Driven Development Program (KALAHI-CIDSS NCDDP);

(b) DOLE – Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) and Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating
Disadvantaged Workers "TUPAD" Project;

(c) TESDA – Skills Training, Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA) and the Training for
Work Scholarship Program (TWSP):

(d) DepEd – Alternative Learning System (ALS) and Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in
Private Education (GASTPE);

(e) CHED – Student Financial Assistance Program (STUFAP);

(f) National Housing Authority (NHA) – Socialized housing program;

(g) DOH – Basic health care services;

(h) Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) – Expanded Primary Care Package for the Poor and
Senior Citizens; and

(i) Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) – Community Mortgage Program for qualified organized
informal settlers.

Allocations for the implementation of these programs and projects shall be given preferential consideration in
the funding allocation of the agency budget.

Any additional funds to the existing appropriations of the pro-poor programs in the different departments and
agencies shall be included in the GAA.

Section 11. Private Sector Participation. -The private sector shall be highly encouraged to be an active partner in
the financing and implementation of poverty alleviation programs and projects. The government agencies
implementing these programs shall be authorized to accredit development partners, which may accept donations,
aids or grants, in cash or in kind, from duly accredited sources, to meet the demands of and uphold the basic
rights of the poor to adequate food, decent work, relevant and quality education, adequate housing, and the
highest attainable standard of health. Acceptance and use of such donations, aids or grants shall be transparent
and subject to applicable government regulations.

Section 12. Tax Exemptions. -Any donation, contribution and grant which may be made to the programs
implemented under the NPRP shall be exempt from the donor‘s tax in accordance with the specific provisions of
the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997. as amended by Republic Act No. 10963 or the "Tax Reform for
Acceleration and Inclusion".

The implementers of the socialized housing resettlement program shall enjoy the incentives stated in Section 20
of Republic Act No. 7279, otherwise known as the "Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992", subject to
the new guidelines under Republic Act No. 10884 or the "Balanced Housing Development Program
Amendments".

Section 13. Implementation through a System of Progressive Realization. -The implementation of this Act is
through the Principle of Progressive Realization: Provided, That the President and Congress have the
prerogative to allocate funds to all poverty alleviation programs as they may deem necessary through the GAA.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed in any manner as requiring the government to undertake the immediate
implementation of all poverty alleviation programs.

Section 14. Compliance Report. -NAPC shall oversee and monitor compliance with this Act. Within six (6)
months from the effectivity of this Act and every six (6) months thereafter, all implementing departments and
agencies shall submit a report to the NAPC on their respective compliance with the provisions of this Act which,
in turn, shall submit a compliance report to the House Committee on Poverty Alleviation and to the Senate
Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development.

Section 15. Implementing Rules and- Regulations. -Within six (6) months from the effectivity of this Act, the
NAPC shall, in coordination with the government departments and agencies, with the participation of the LGUs
and the basic sectors, promulgate rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of this Act.
Section 16. Separability Clause. -If, for any reason, any section or provision of this Act is declared
unconstitutional or invalid, the other sections or provisions which are not affected shall continue to be in full
force and effect.

Section 17. Repealing Clause. -All laws, decrees, executive orders, proclamations, rules and regulations or parts
thereof inconsistent herewith are repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.

Section 18. Effectivity. -This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or
in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,

(Sgd) VICENTE C. SOTTO, III

President of the Senate

(Sgd) GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO

Speaker of the House of Representatives

This Act was passed by the Senate of the Philippines as Senate Bill No. 2121 on January 29, 2019 and adopted
by the House of Representatives as an amendment to House Bill No. 5811 on January 30, 2019.

(Sgd) MYRA MARIE D. VILLARICA

Secretary of the Senate

(Sgd) DANTE ROBERTO P. MALING

Acting Secretary General

House of Representatives

(Sgd) RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE

President of the Philippines

Approved: April 12, 2019.

Pallavi Suyog, U. (n.d.). How does emotion affect cognition? MedicineNet.

https://www.medicinenet.com/how_does_emotion_affect_cognition/article.htm

How Does Emotion Affect Cognition?

Disease and Condition: Mental Health (Psychology)

Your emotions play a definite role in your cognition. Emotion affects cognition because the regions of the brain
are interlinked and influence our behavior and actions.

Your emotions play a definite role in your cognition. Emotion affects cognition because the regions of the brain
are interlinked and influence our behavior and actions.

Your emotions play a definite role in your cognition. It was once believed that cognition and emotion are
controlled by two different regions of the brain; however, recent research suggests that the two regions are
interlinked and influence our behavior and actions.

Let us look at some examples.

A memory associated with strong emotion is often permanently etched in our minds. For example, a woman
who was very close to her dad (emotions) may subconsciously choose a life partner (cognitive decision) who
shares many common traits with her father. Thus, her childhood memories may influence her decision-making
and dictate her social behavior.

Emotions facilitate the encoding of memories and help retrieve information in the future. For example, if you
were bitten by a dog in your childhood, many years later, you still live in mortal fear of dogs and give a wide
berth to every dog you see.

Any memory associated with a strong emotional stimulus appears to be remembered vividly, with great
resilience over time.

Negative effect of emotions on cognition: Some emotions may get in the way of logical thinking, for example,
rage, shock and panic. You are enraged that your favorite car is damaged during a road traffic accident. It is
extremely difficult for you to think clearly about the next course of action. You are better off avoiding any
action until your rage subsides. Any rash action such as attacking the offender may land you in trouble.

Positive effect of emotions on cognition: Emotion-laden states may help with critical thinking. Suppose you are
the mother of a child. You have the best interests of your child at heart. You weigh relevant options and
understand your child’s strengths, weaknesses and needs for both autonomy and safety. Your concern and love
for them—is not an impediment to clear thinking—is essential to being a good parent. Love is a large part of
what motivates you, grounds you and helps you do what you think is best for your child. These emotions of
motherhood are often a reason behind good parenting decisions.

Which part of the brain controls emotions and cognition?

Emotions are controlled by the subcortical regions of the brain such as the amygdala, ventral striatum and
hypothalamus. Most scientists think that emotions are innate (they are programmed in our brains since birth).

Cognition is an acquired process that develops through past experiences, thoughts and senses. It includes
processes such as attention, sensations and perception along with language use, memory, learning, reasoning,
problem-solving, decision-making and intelligence. The frontal lobe, parietal lobe and prefrontal cortex are
mainly involved in cognitive and problem-solving abilities.

Extensive interconnections between the regions of the brain control emotions and cognition. Thus, your
emotions may drive your decisions and your past experiences may affect your emotional health.

If you were bitten by a spider as a child, you have a mortal fear of spiders (emotion). As an adult, when you see
a spider climbing your wall, your first instinct is to either squash it or run away to another room. This is because
your brain processes the input and retrieves old memories. These memories (information) are then used to guide
your present behavior (cognition).

What is an emotional quotient?

Numerous studies have established that emotions such as anger, frustration, boredom and anxiety often
negatively affect your problem-solving abilities, creativity, reasoning and attention span. Consistently
inculcating positive emotions in your life such as gratitude, love, content, joy and hope is associated with good
decision-making in professional and personal life. Additionally, positive emotions are linked to good emotional
and mental health. Scientists often use the term emotional intelligence (emotional quotient [EQ]) for a person’s
ability to manage their own emotions positively and communicate effectively with others. A person with a high
EQ is better equipped to make right decisions in their personal life and workplace. They can empathize with
others, diffuse conflict, manage stressful situations better and build stronger relationships at school and work. In
short, a person with a high EQ can respond to emotional inputs positively and make better cognitive decisions.

Etolle, N. (2008, November 29). 15 street kids arrested for robbery. Philstar.com.
https://www.philstar.com/metro/2008/11/29/419159/15-street-kids-arrested-robbery

METRO
15 street kids arrested for robbery
November 29, 2008 | 12:00am

Police rounded up yesterday 15 street children suspected of being “ear pickers” and snatchers in Divisoria,
Manila.
Meisic police station chief Superintendent Nelson Yabut said the operation was an offshoot of several
complaints from shoppers who were victimized by children disguised as vendors of shopping bags.
According to Yabut, the children would sell shopping bags while they look for probable victims. They would
then snatch the victim’s bag or grab their earrings, heedless of any injury they might cause.
Yabut believes the children belong to a syndicate and are being protected by their financiers.
“We are now trying to psych up the children to reveal their protectors. However, they refused to talk,” Yabut
said.
Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim had directed Manila policemen to round up the street children in Divisoria following
a complaint from a shopper that her ears were torn after her earrings were snatched by a girl vendor in Divisoria.
Yabut said he will not allow children vendors in Divisoria unless they are under the care of an adult who will be
responsible for any offense committed by the children.
He also coordinated with other police station commanders to do the same in their areas since “these children
only transfer to other shopping areas when they become hot to authorities.”
He said robbery syndicates usually employ children to escape arrest under a new law exempting minors from
criminal prosecution. – Nestor Etolle

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). The Impact of Discrimination. American

Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2015/impact

A wealth of psychological research shows that discrimination can exacerbate stress. Moreover, discrimination-
related stress is linked to mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, even in children. In this year’s
examination of the state of Stress in America™, the American Psychological Association (APA) highlights the
connection between discrimination and stress, along with the resulting impacts on relationships, employment
and overall health.
Regardless of the cause, experiencing discrimination is associated with higher reported stress and poorer
reported health. While average reported stress levels in the United States have seen a slight increase in the past
two years (5.1 in 2015 and 4.9 in 2014 on a 10-point scale, where 1 is “little or no stress” and 10 is “a great deal
of stress”), some segments of the population are more likely to report experiencing higher average stress levels.
Discrimination and Stress Go Hand-in-Hand
For many adults, dealing with discrimination results in a state of heightened vigilance and changes in
behavior, which in itself can trigger stress responses — that is, even the anticipation of discrimination is
sufficient to cause people to become stressed. AI/AN adults are most likely (43 percent) to take care about what
they say and how they say it, as well as to avoid certain situations, to cope with day-to-day discrimination.
Hispanic and Black adults (31 percent and 29 percent, respectively) are most likely to say they feel a need to
take care with their appearance to get good service or avoid harassment. Many adults also report trying to
prepare for possible insults from other people before leaving home (25 percent of AI/AN, 23 percent of Blacks,
21 percent of Hispanics and 15 percent of Asians and Whites). Adults who are LGBT who have experienced
discrimination have average stress levels of 6.4, compared to 6.0 for LGBT adults overall. Among adults who
are non-LGBT, stress levels are 5.5 for those who have experienced discrimination and 5.0 for non-LGBT adults
overall. This also is seen across racial groups: Average stress levels of those reporting discrimination (6.1 on a
10-point scale for Hispanics, 5.5 for Blacks and 5.4 for Whites) were higher than for those not reporting it (5.1
for Hispanics, 3.8 for Blacks and 4.0 for Whites). Among generations, the discrimination/stress divide can be
seen within the larger population of millennials. More than half of Asian millennials (51 percent) and 47 percent
of Black millennials say that discrimination is a very or somewhat significant source of stress, compared to 31
percent of Hispanic and 26 percent of White millennials reporting the same. More than one in 10 adults (13
percent) say they have been treated unfairly when receiving health care, and significantly more AI/AN adults
(28 percent) report experiencing discrimination when receiving health care treatment. Adults with disabilities
are more likely than those without a disability to say discrimination is a somewhat or significant source of stress
(26 percent vs. 18 percent).Almost half of adults who did not report experiencing discrimination (45 percent)
report excellent or very good health, compared to 31 percent who report experiencing discrimination. Forty-six
percent of Whites who say they have not experienced discrimination report excellent/very good health, while
only 34 percent of Whites who have experienced discrimination report excellent/very good health (Hispanics:
37 percent vs. 29 percent; Blacks: 32 percent vs. 28 percent, respectively).
Despite the stress, the majority of adults who report experiencing discrimination (59 percent) feel that
they have dealt quite well or very well with it and any resulting changes or problems.
Younger adults are less likely than older generations to report having dealt well with discrimination.
Sixty-one percent of boomers and 86 percent of matures report that they have dealt quite well or very well with
having experienced discrimination and any resulting changes or problems, compared to about half of younger
adults (51 percent of millennials and 53 percent of Gen Xers) saying the same. Forty percent of adults who are
LGBT say they have dealt quite well or very well with having experienced discrimination and any resulting
changes or problems, while 60 percent of non-LGBT adults say the same. Having emotional support appears to
improve the way that individuals view their coping abilities with discrimination. Sixty-five percent of adults
overall who say they experienced discrimination and indicate that they had emotional support also say they
coped quite or very well, compared to 37 percent of those who report not having emotional support. Differences
by racial and ethnic groups also reveal that higher percentages of those who say they experienced discrimination
and indicate they had emotional support said they coped quite or very well, compared to those who report not
having support. For Whites, 69 percent of those who say they experienced discrimination and indicate that they
had emotional support report coping quite or very well, compared to 36 percent of those who report not having
emotional support (Blacks: 63 percent vs. 30 percent; Hispanics: 54 percent vs. 38 percent).
All groups appear to do better when they have emotional support. Those who indicate that they did not
have emotional support also report higher stress levels (6.3 average level on a 10-point scale compared to 5.0 for
people with emotional support). Across population groups, average stress levels of those without support (6.8
for Hispanics, 6.3 for Blacks and 6.2 for Whites) were higher than for those with emotional support (5.7 for
Hispanics, 5.1 for Blacks and 4.9 for Whites).

yvonne_w. (2020, February 26). Discrimination and how it hinders development. Voices of
Youth. https://www.voicesofyouth.org/blog/discrimination-and-how-it-hinders-
development
HUMAN RIGHTS

Discrimination and how it hinders development

FEBRUARY 26, 2020

BY YVONNE_W

Many advancements have been made in the 21st century. Arguably, the most revolutionary one of these
inventions is the internet—the internet revolutionized the way we go about our businesses and also opened up a
portal for people all over the world to connect from right where they are.

The internet has done many wonderful things, one of them being shining a light on what is arguably the
biggest issue that faces the human race – discrimination. Discrimination is the “treatment or consideration of, or
making a distinction in favour of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which
that person or thing is perceived to belong to rather than on individual merit [1].

It includes the treatment of an individual or group, based on their actual or perceived membership in a
certain group or social category, ‘in a way that is worse than the way people are usually treated’ [2].
Discrimination restricts members of a group from opportunities or privileges available to another group leading
to exclusion. There are many types of discrimination, including but not limited to discrimination due to
race/ethnicity, nationality/origin, religion/lack thereof, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, and
caste/financial disposition.

Discrimination hinders development. Firstly, it disrupts peace. One of the biggest forms of discrimination
is racism [3]. According to the FBI 2018 hate crime statistics, 59.6% of hate crimes were racially motivated [4].
In the US, for instance, there are active hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis. Also in the US,
black men are far much more likely to be shot and killed by the police than white men [5], black men are far
much more likely to receive longer and heavier sentences than white men in a ruling for the same crime [6],
blacks consistently earn less than whites [7] and black women are routinely raped, beaten and killed by the
police [8]. Further, across the world, darker-skinned people are more likely to experience discrimination than
lighter-skinned people in what is known as colourism [9].

At times race, ethnicity, nationality and origin are grouped together in that they are similar, though not
same, and that issues concerning these factors have a high potential to become a full-scale war or conflict, with
examples being the American Civil War, the war against apartheid in South Africa, the 2016 xenophobic attacks
in South Africa, the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide, the Sudan genocide, the 2007 post-election violence in
Kenya and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, just to name a few.

Moving away from race, tension and war have also been noted to arise due to religion. There are about
4200 different religions in the world, with Christianity and Islam being the two most popular ones. Most
religions believe that they're the one true religion while the rest are false.

On the other hand, atheists believe that all religions are false. This has brought forth a lot of heated
debates between theists and atheists, and between theists themselves. In some countries, being an atheist is
punishable by death [10]. In many places, people belonging to religious minorities face significant difficulties
and persecution [11]. Further, many terrorist groups have been blamed on religious extremists. The most notable
examples of Islamic extremism include Al Qaeda, Al Shabaab, Taliban, Boko Haram and ISIS. According to
SALON, the Army of God in the U.S., Eastern Lightning in China, the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, the
National Liberation Front of Tripura in India, the Phineas Priesthood in the U.S (greatly influenced by the Ku
Klux Klan) and the Concerned Christians in the U.S are the top 6 modern-day Christian terror groups [12].
 There’s also sex and gender-based violence such as rape and domestic abuse. Women are more likely to
be raped and/or suffer domestic abuse than men are [13]. On average, nearly 20 people per minute are
physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States, equating to more than 10 million women and men
in a year [13]. Additionally, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men in the United States have been raped in their lifetime
[13]. Most rapists are never convicted [14].

Secondly, discrimination is an enemy of economic development and prosperity. Discrimination in the

workplace results in low productivity, which in turn drives the economy backwards. According to the
International Labor Organization, women are by the most discriminated in the workplace, with the pay gap
between the sexes still significant in most countries [15]. Women of colour make even fewer earnings than
white women [16]. The gender pay gap is even worse for mothers as they face the motherhood penalty [17].
Furthermore, the gender pay gap grows with age [18]. Most countries have tried improving on this by educating
more girls and women. However, even though education helps increase women’s earnings, it still doesn’t close
the gender pay gap—the reason the gender pay gap exists, sexism, has to be eradicated.

Discrimination also plays a big role in global poverty [19]. This is because inequality in opportunity
leads to underdevelopment in the areas that experience this discrimination. For instance, being denied
citizenship due to some discriminatory reason such as religious affiliation restricts one’s access to employment,
education, and other opportunities [19]. Africans are the most likely to be denied student visas [20], and African
scientists and researchers are routinely denied visas to attend conferences, denying them opportunities to present
their work and collaborate with their peers [21]. This denies Africans economic opportunities. In the US, black
people were driven into poverty by being denied basic rights such as education, ownership of property, business
licensing and segregation [22].

Thirdly, discrimination affects the health of its victims. Increasing evidence indicates that racial
discrimination is an emerging risk factor for disease and a contributor to racial disparities in health [23]. Victims
of discrimination have been shown to have high cortisol levels and other hormone imbalances, a situation which
leads to the disruption of immune, reproductive and cardiovascular systems [24]. It also leads to stress [25]
which leads to the development of stress-related illnesses such as diabetes, depression, anxiety, headaches,
Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, ulcers, chronic heartburn, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Gastroesophageal Reflux
Disease, accelerated ageing and premature death [26]. It doesn't help that discrimination is prevalent in
healthcare systems either, so people go without getting the care that they need. Victims of discrimination have
also been shown to have low self-esteem and confidence [27].

Despite the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) being proclaimed by the United Nations
General Assembly in 1948, discrimination is still prevalent in many societies today. Global leaders have failed
to enforce the UDHR into law. Also needed are reeducation and reintegration. Most education systems do not
seek to address issues such as intrapersonal awareness and interpersonal skills. It is, therefore, necessary to
reform our education systems in order to include such things and to create awareness over such issues.
Furthermore, prejudices are taught and learnt. Therefore, we must ensure that we are not teaching said
prejudices. Additionally, we must embark on the journey of unlearning the prejudices we have learnt and tearing
down all the institutions built upon those prejudices.

Wolf, D. (2016, July 4). Everyday violence against the poor.

https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/how-everyday-violence-locks-poor-people-poverty-and-
what-needs-be-done-about-it

Law
Everyday violence against the poor
Poor people experience indiscriminate oppression and injustice on a daily basis. The lack of legal security
blights any prospects they might have and locks them into poverty.
07.04.2016
 A book by legal experts Gary A. Haugen and Victor Boutros decries the fact that billions of poor in the
world are denied the human right to liberty and security. It finds that penniless people are helplessly exposed to
sexual violence, forced labour and slavery, land theft, abuse of police power and torture. The authors
substantiate this with shocking case studies in Peru, India, Kenya and elsewhere. They conclude that everyday
violence thwarts every attempt that people make to free themselves from poverty. As a result, it also undermines
poor countries’ economic development and torpedoes every effort to reduce poverty.
Many poor people in developing countries live in a de facto state of lawlessness. Haugen and Boutros
point out that laws are not enforced and that prosperous, influential people have taken advantage of broken and
corrupt legal systems to suppress and exploit the poor. Many countries still have legal systems established by
former colonial powers – systems solely designed to protect the regime from the people. And according to the
authors, they continue to do just that in many cases today. Furthermore, rich and powerful elites have availed
themselves of private security services, which undermines the public legal system even more.
Ailing legal systems have been characterised by:

 arbitrary prosecution and arrest;

 abuse and torture of detainees on remand, potentially for months or even years until a case goes to trial
– if indeed it ever does;
 poor police training and pay;
 poor legal training;
 lack of vital resources and infrastructure;
 defendants denied legal counsel;
 trials conducted in a foreign language (e.g. English or Spanish rather than the relevant local language)
which defendants neither speak nor understand;
 absence of trial transcripts that could serve as a basis for a retrial.
Haugen and Boutros hold donor countries partly responsible for the poor enforcement of laws. The jurists
conclude that they have not devoted enough attention to the issue and have not channeled sufficient funds into
remedial action. Only around one to two percent of official development assistance (ODA) has been earmarked
for measures specifically designed to improve the judicial system and legal protection for all. In most cases, the
reason for this is found in development agency statutes. They effectively prohibit support for the police and
justice sector to avoid interference in the internal affairs of countries and to ensure that the agency’s work does
not strengthen corrupt governments even more. The authors believe, however, that proper enforcement of laws
and a functioning legal system are absolutely vital for sustainable development.
Boutros is a US federal prosecutor who investigates and tries cases of police or official misconduct such as
corruption and abuse of authority. Haugen is founder and CEO of the International Justice Mission (IJM), an
international human-rights organisation that protects the poor from violence, slavery and human trafficking.
Presenting projects supported by IJM and other organisations as examples, the authors show that it is possible to
change non-functioning legal systems in developing countries so that they provide effective protection for the
poor. The fact that this can be done is evidenced, in their eyes, by the history of the police service in the United
States for example. Haugen and Boutros point out that no country started out with a legal system that protected
the poor and weak.
The authors call upon development agencies to step up their efforts in this area. In return, they urge
developing countries to commit more vigorously to the development of legal systems that also protect poor
sections of their population.