The Other Side of Poverty: Social Exclusion in Children
Cihangir KarakayaSocial exclusion is a multidimensional concept defined as being removed from social resources and opportunities, being incapable of participating in society, and being socially disadvantaged in society. Children are among the population groups most affected by social exclusion. Social exclusion not only negatively affects children’s health and physical, emotional, mental, and social development but also causes negative long-term effects on children. Among these are issues such as insufficient social and cultural capital, impaired social functionality, low social participation, difficulty in participating in employment, lack of social security, social pathologies, and inability to participate in the decision-making mechanism. Poverty is intertwined with social exclusion in that it prevents children from accessing the social welfare, living conditions, goods and services, social resources, and opportunities society generally has access to and deprives children of social participation and social integration due to the deprivations it creates. This study aims to analyze the relationship between poverty and social exclusion in children. The study examines views on the relationship between poverty and social exclusion, the short- and long-term effects of poverty-induced social exclusion on children, and the steps taken to combat social exclusion regarding children in Türkiye.
Yoksulluğun Öteki Yüzü: Çocuklarda Sosyal Dışlanma
Cihangir KarakayaSosyal dışlanma, toplumsal kaynaklardan ve fırsatlardan uzak olma, topluma katılımda yetersiz olma, toplumda sosyal olarak dezavantajlı olma hali olarak tanımlanan çok boyutlu bir kavramdır. Sosyal dışlanmadan en çok etkilenen nüfus grupları arasında çocuklar yer almaktadır. Sosyal dışlanma, çocuğun sağlığını, fiziksel, duygusal, zihinsel ve sosyal gelişimini olumsuz etkilemekle kalmayıp çocuk üzerinde uzun dönemli olumsuz etkilere neden olmaktadır. Uzun dönemli etkiler arasında yetersiz sosyal ve kültürel sermaye, sosyal işlevsellikte zedelenme, düşük sosyal katılım, istihdama katılmada güçlük, sosyal güvence yoksunluğu, sosyal patolojiler, karar alma mekanizmasına katılımda yetersizlik gibi hususlar bulunmaktadır. Yoksulluk, çocukların toplumun genelinin eriştiği sosyal refaha, yaşam koşullarına, mal ve hizmetlere, toplumsal kaynak ve fırsatlara erişimlerini engellemesi ve yarattığı yoksunluklar nedeniyle çocukları sosyal katılım ve sosyal bütünleşmeden mahrum bırakması açısından sosyal dışlanma ile iç içedir. Çalışma, yoksulluk ve çocuklarda sosyal dışlanma ilişkisini analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Çalışmada yoksulluk ile sosyal dışlanma ilişkisine dair görüşlere, yoksulluk kaynaklı sosyal dışlanmanın çocuklar üzerindeki kısa ve uzun vadeli etkilerine ve Türkiye’de çocuklarda sosyal dışlanma ile mücadele atılan adımlara yer verilmiştir.
Poverty is one of the most significant problems mankind has experienced for such a long time and has currently reached its peak in places where industrialization and urbanization are intense. The problem of poverty is an important obstacle to social integration. In particular, the problems poverty creates, such as inequality of opportunity, insecurity, injustice, and discrimination, are the catalysts for social exclusion. Social exclusion is defined as being removed from social resources and opportunities, having inadequate participation in society, and being socially disadvantaged in society. Of course, children are among the most vulnerable population groups at risk of social exclusion. Suffering from poverty and being exposed to social exclusion during childhood adversely affect children’s health and physical, emotional, mental, and social development; it restricts their access to educational services and prevents them from establishing healthy social relationships with society. In addition, social exclusion has long-term effects on children by causing a scarring effect. Among the long-term effects are issues such as insufficient social and cultural capital, impaired social functionality, low social participation, difficulty participating in employment, lack of social security, social pathologies, and low participation in the decision-making mechanism.
When looking at the relationship between poverty and social exclusion, some views see poverty as the cause of social exclusion, others express how social exclusion is a broader concept covering poverty, other even see social exclusion and poverty to be equivalent, and other views even state the relationship between social exclusion and poverty to be complex. In other words, no consensus is found regarding the views on the relationship between poverty and social exclusion. What is essential that both cases negatively affect vulnerable groups that include children. However, studies revealing the relationship between social exclusion and poverty in children are limited in Turkey. From this point of view, the aim of the article is to reveal the relationship between poverty and social exclusion in children.
Many components stand out at the intersection of social exclusion and poverty in children. Both of them reproduce the disadvantaged state by being transferred from generation to generation, causing damage to social functionality, depriving children of social security and social protection, limiting children’s access to public services (especially education and health services), reducing the opportunities for participation in the workforce by preventing children from developing their cultural and social capital, preventing children from living in healthy housing conditions and having a child-friendly environment, causing social pathologies that affect children, and limiting their participation in decision-making mechanisms. Ultimately, poverty and social exclusion in children reproduce children’s disadvantages through the scarring they cause and the effects of learned helplessness on children.
Türkiye has taken some steps to combat poverty and social exclusion in children. Social Services Law No. 2828 and Child Protection Law No. 5395 appear as important legislative provisions. Within the scope of medium-term programs, objectives are found under the title of Social Inclusion and the Fight Against Poverty, such as preparing a social protection system that protects children from social exclusion, increasing accessibility to public services, and ensuring social integration. The Social and Economic Support Service aims to keep children in school and thus support their participation in the workforce, which is an important step in the fight against poverty and social exclusion in children. In addition to legislation and practices, institutions are also found that aim to protect children from social exclusion. The Social Cohesion Department undertakes tasks such as increasing children’s social cohesion and protecting them from problems that may harm their or their family’s well-being. In addition, youth centers aim to protect children from social exclusion by directing them to cultural, sporting, artistic, social, and scientific activities. However, these aforementioned legislations, practices, and institutions cannot be said to produce permanent solutions. The need exists for policies, practices, and institutions that focus on solutions more than the problems, that aim at social peace and welfare, and that make those who experience the problem the leading actor in the solution.
