Growing Cities, Growing Slums?

Is Urban Poverty the New Threat to the World’s Poor?

Global migratory patterns are dramatically shifting the face of poverty from predominantly rural to urban environments. Since 2008, for  the first time in history more than half of the world’s human population, 3.3 billion people, are living in urban areas. It is estimated that nearly one billion people, or 32% of the world’s urban population are living in slums and the number of the world’s poor living in urban areas is increasing everyday. Issues of urban poverty include lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitation, dwellings made up of temporary building materials, risk of evictions, difficulties accessing health and education services. Children are the first victims of urban poverty and are particularly vulnerable to any kinds of exploitation including long hours, unpaid or low-waged work in harmful working environments. They also are exploited for drug, sexual violence and prostitution.  These multi-faceted issues of urban poverty need to be addressed through a holistic and integrated urban program by the engagement of the duty bearers of family, community, private sector, civil society and State.