Oxfam Report 2022 and its Key Findings

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Inequality not only creates an unhealthy and unhappy society, but it is also violent. “Inequality kills,” says Oxfam.

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An Oxfam report titled “Inequality Kills” was recently released. Oxfam urged the government to take action to close the widening gap between the rich and the poor.

 Key Findings

  1. The world’s ten richest men have doubled their fortunes during the pandemic.
  2. For 99% of the global population, incomes have fallen during the pandemic.
  3. Every day, inequality contributes to the deaths of at least 21,300 people, equivalent to the death of at least one person every four seconds.
  4. The pandemic has pushed gender equality from 99 years to 135 years today, meaning it will take another generation for women to achieve gender equality. 
  5. The wealthiest 1% emits more than twice as much CO2 as the poorest 50% on the planet.
  6. Women, minorities and developing countries are hardest hit by growing inequality.

Consequences

  1. Economic violence starts when structural policy choices are made for the richest and most powerful. It affects the poorest people, women and girls, and racialized groups most.
  2. Good quality healthcare is a human right but is often seen as a luxury for the wealthy.
  3. Gender-based violence is rooted in patriarchy and sexist economic systems—for example, sex-selective abortion.
  4. Hunger is one of the ways that poverty kills, and it is experienced by billions of ordinary people around the world every day.

Way Forward

  1. All governments should immediately tax the gains made by the super-rich during this pandemic period.
  2. Redirect that wealth to save lives and invest in our future to adapt to climate change. 
  3. The legacy of the pandemic must be quality, publicly funded, and universal healthcare.
  4. Address sexist and racist laws that discriminate against women and those experiencing racism, and create new gender equality laws to eliminate violence and discrimination. 
  5. Define policies that will ensure that all decision-making spaces represent women, racialized and other oppressed groups.
  6. Abandon intellectual property rules for COVID19 vaccine technology to allow more countries to produce safe and effective vaccines to usher in the final phase of the pandemic.

Source : Weforum