The New Face of Genocide in Sri Lanka.

Abstract

Today the world is facing a new face of genocide. It is most commonly known as ‘poverty’. This can also be referred to a deadly viral disease and has escalated in to a global catastrophe. Still the modern form of genocide is not addressed wisely by world forums although it is very important to combat global poverty. Sri Lanka as a developing country is also a victim. According to the World Bank people who are maintaining their living with less than 1.90 US dollars per day are categorized under ‘extreme poverty’ and people who are maintaining their living with less than 3.10 US dollars are categorized under ‘moderately poverty’ group. African and Asian countries face this condition seriously. World’s poorest countries can be found in Sub – Saharan Africa. Niger and Eritrea are two of the poorest countries which are land locked and there are more. Objective of studying global poverty is to provide a clear picture of global poverty and to broaden the understanding about poverty alleviation. Since the world is facing a catastrophe in the name of poverty everyone must have a clear understanding about the term and its impacts to provide necessary solutions to reduce poverty level in Sri Lanka. The study of poverty in Sri Lanka has been conducted by referring to secondary sources like books, journals, newspaper, reports, articles and visual sources. Statistical analysis and graphs have been used to demonstrate poverty levels. Aspects of poverty include hunger, unemployment, corruption, illiteracy, poor standards of living, lack of access to healthy food and water and hardships to fulfill basic needs of people. Exploitation of resources in colonial period, decolonization, great wars, civil wars, lack of proper education, political instability, backward economy, dictatorships, violence and civil wars are outcomes of poverty. Sri Lanka is also affected by these problems. Some global level initiatives have launched to alleviate poverty. Sustainable development goals introduced by UNO and regional organizations like European Union, ASEAN, and SAARC contribute to reduce poverty by giving aids and advices to countries. UNO and European Union have contributed to alleviate poverty to an extent. However, still there is more to be done.