SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities- Reduce inequality within and among countries
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character.” This is an excerpt from Martin Luther King’s famous I have a Dream speech.
In this speech, he addresses the racism encountered by black people in America at the time. There was a lot of segregation and black people could not even vote at the time.
The Civil rights movement was a very pivotal time in American history. Many years have passed since that march and we can see the massive improvements.
Although remnants of racism against people of colour still exist, we can say that a lot of progress has been made.
Now, this is just one aspect of marginalisation as there are so many marginalised groups.
From disabled people, to people of colour and People Living with HIV, a lot of people in the world are discriminated against.
The 10th SDG seeks to address these issues.
What Are Inequalities?
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) are inalienable privileges every person should enjoy on the basis of the fact that they are human. Once people are denied these rights or the right to certain social amenities all citizens should enjoy because of religion, race or socioeconomic status, we say they have been marginalised.
Equality is all about access. What is accessible to one, should be accessible to all.
Why Should We Care?
1. ECONOMIC BENEFITS: For country to grow, all its citizens should have access to social amenities especially employment. As discussed in my previous entries, the greater the number of employed people, the better the economy.
If people with disabilities keep being discriminated from having jobs, then a huge part of the country’s workforce becomes redundant.
2. EMPATHY: Irrespective of what makes a person different from you, at the core of it all, we are all humans. The language we speak or the colour of our skin does not matter.
Everyone deserve equal opportunities because we are all human.
What Can We Do?
1. TREAT PEOPLE BETTER: There’s a lot of stigmatisation and misconceptions surrounding each marginalised group. These are the main reasons why people do not treat marginalised groups well.
We should do better. We should treat people better. Do not use slurs or derogatory terms on people living with disabilities. We should care for them and accept them.
2. TEACH CHILDREN GOOD VALUES: The children of today are the adults of tomorrow. We must imbibe in them good values.
In our homes and schools, we should teach children about empathy and understanding.
If we can inculcate these characters into the kids, there will grow up as better adults and it will be a better society at large.
3. DONATIONS: They are NGOs and foundations that are dedicated to helping marginalised groups.
By supporting such organisations, you indirectly help these people.
People everywhere should be treated with dignity and respect. Nobody should be seen as a lesser being. Remember, before you are anything, you are first human.
