Feeling safe is easy to take for granted when living in a developed nation, but for much of the developing world- especially for the poor- living in fear is the norm. In his newest book, The Locust Effect, Gary A. Haugen shines a light on the violence that saturates the lives of the impoverished. Aside from presenting the facts, Haugen asserts that there is hope for all of these people that comes when broken justice systems are repaired. The International Justice Mission displays some of the disconcerting facts and figures in the infographic below.
For impoverished people around the world, many are living their lives in a constant state of fear- fear of being chased out of their homes, fear of being raped, enslaved, hurt, unrepresented, and silenced. Every year, 5 million people are chased out of their homes by either people in power or criminals. It is predicted that by 2020, 1.5 billion of the world’s urban poor will live in slums without secure right to property. The big problem: many of the flawed justice systems leave victims voices unheard. Nearly 30 million men, women, and children are held as slaves or forced into prostitution. In Guatemala, private security forces outnumber police 7 to 1, so those without money are left living in fear. These horrifying statistics are just a small sample of the everyday reality for the world’s poor.
For a full picture, check out the visual below and find out how you can help:
