Things that exist (but shouldn't)

Here, in the heart of Berlin lie men and women, shuffling their dirty, street infested and degrading feet. The same mantra on their lips, “Hello, my name is… I live on the street and have nothing to eat and no place to stay. Could you please kindly donate some money/small change or something small to eat. Thank you, have a blessed week.” Or the rustling of their worn-out coffee cup and pleading eyes alone becomes their mantra.

There are those, walking around with papers, saying “Please help me with donations” or just random scribble, to which you pay no attention to as you reach in your purse for a donation – to which he/she takes and leaves in a hurry – with your phone in their hand, because you left it on the table and he/she cunningly placed the note over it.

There are men who grab at you in the street as you walk past, shouting “hey, where are you going?” or hoot at you from their car. Or those who just won’t leave women alone and are therefore kicked out of areas.

Why is this still a thing? Why does this still exist? How come sexual harassment in the work place is just glanced over, almost accepted? Yet the world blows up over Hollywood and its actresses being sexually harassed and/or abused. Is this not inequality too?

Now I don’t want to step on any toes, (or maybe that’s what we should be doing) however I believe things should be discussed. According to RAINN, (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) an American is sexually assaulted every 98 seconds, with 54% of those being 18-34 years old. How greater is it then in countries less developed, educated and with worse government and protection systems?

Now, I’m not saying that sexual harassment in Hollywood shouldn’t be talked about, but is this our only top priority/focus? Granted – women started speaking out about their own experiences of being harassed and/or sexually abused after celebrities and/or role models told the world of their experiences and raising awareness to the extent of the problem. The world was shocked at the response from women – the hashtag #metoo became a global trend and well known in the span of a week. Sad isn’t it? I think its even more sad that many women started speaking up about it only after these renowned women and stars decided to take a stand.

This is wrong too. Yes, the movement was good. Yes, actresses and Hollywood should take a stand against this. BUT woman worldwide should not stand idle, with their mouths taped up because a larger group/certain groups of people have not said anything. 

Homelessness, inequality, sexual abuse and harassment is a world-wide problem, not only isolated to 1st world countries or even developing countries.  Why is homelessness even a thing in a first world country?! I ask myself this every time I see someone on the streets or begging others for money/food. Dare I say, it is even worse than in my home town? Or do I just notice it more now that I’m not in a constant safety bubble of a car, fenced house and a school guarded by CCTV and a man guarding the gates 24/7?

South Africa is bad – it is notorious for its crime and dirt-poor people. Yes, it is on a larger scale there, poverty and homelessness are an outstanding number – a whole new planet in comparison to Germany. Is it possibly more noticeable here because in South Africa, most of the poverty stricken live in the townships?

Only 79.2% of the South African population have formal housing, (Community Survey 2016 http://cs2016.statssa.gov.za/) According to the Statistiches Bundesamt, (https://www.destatis.de/EN/Homepage.html) it was estimated that 19.7% of the German population are “at risk of poverty and social exclusion”. The results of the EU-SILC (LEBEN IN EUROPA) concluded that 16 million civilians were affected by poverty.

As of Thursday 30 November 2017, Germany has a population of 82,188,782 with South Africa falling behind at 56,999,175. This means that 45,143,346 South Africans are living in poverty or have inadequate/informal housing.  That is a massive comparison to Germany’s possible 19.7% poverty rate. 

What are your thoughts on this? Let me know! 

Team South Africa banner designed by @bearone

Sources:

• http://cs2016.statssa.gov.za/
• https://www.destatis.de/EN/Homepage.html
• http://www.dw.com/en/germany-150-percent-rise-in-number-of-homeless-since-2014/a-41376766
• http://www.worldometers.info

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