Is "Wealth Discrimination" Now a Crime? "Should Be Included in Anti-Discrimination Laws Like Gender and Racial Discrimination"

UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights: "Insults and Exclusion Related to Poverty Do Not Disappear on Their Own"
Povertyism Manifests in Various Forms Including Ladder-Kicking
81% Say "The Most Severe Discrimination in Korean Society Is Wealth Disparity"

Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] A UN special rapporteur on human rights has proposed that discrimination based on wealth disparity should be defined as illegal and sanctioned, just like racial or gender discrimination.

In an interview with the UK Guardian on the 26th (local time), Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, stated, "In this week's UN General Assembly speech, I plan to call for the inclusion of the concept of 'povertyism' in anti-discrimination laws."

Povertyism, which can be translated into Korean as 'ganeun charlyeol' (discrimination against the poor), refers to various forms of discrimination inflicted due to poverty. Special Rapporteur De Schutter argued, "Povertyism destroys people's lives just like racial or gender discrimination, so it should be defined as a crime and prevented," adding, "If poverty discrimination is left unchecked at the UN General Assembly, those who most need social services such as education, housing, employment, and welfare will be excluded because of poverty, ultimately hindering efforts to eradicate poverty."

Povertyism operates through prejudices against the poor and can be explained in various forms as acts that kick away their ladders. For example, an employer might treat an employee poorly if their resume lists an address in a slum, a landlord might refuse to rent to tenants receiving government assistance, and elementary school students in poor areas may find it difficult to receive recommendations for quality middle and high schools compared to other students.

A homeless person on the streets of New York, USA. Photo by Yonhap News

Special Rapporteur De Schutter explained, "Povertyism is a global issue, but especially in wealthy countries with severe inequality, stigma against the poor tends to be greater," noting that such insults and exclusions due to poverty do not disappear on their own.

He plans to propose that governments amend anti-discrimination laws to add 'socioeconomic vulnerability' to the existing protected characteristics such as age, gender, disability, and race. He also intends to urge governments to take more proactive measures to break the poverty trap.

◆ Wealth Discrimination is Very Serious in Korean Society: 46% Very Serious, 35% Somewhat Serious

Povertyism is currently a global problem, and South Korea is also seeing wealth discrimination emerge as a social phenomenon. According to a survey conducted by Gallup Korea in May with 1,000 respondents on the degree of discrimination in our society, respondents identified 'wealth discrimination' as the most severe.

The combined responses for 'very serious' (46%) and 'somewhat serious' (35%) amounted to 81% regarding wealth discrimination. Following wealth discrimination were discrimination against irregular workers at 79%, and discrimination based on educational background or alma mater at 75%.

Special Rapporteur De Schutter emphasized, "The world now recognizes the injustice of various forms of discrimination, including racial and gender discrimination, and is preventing these harms to people's lives through laws. Povertyism must now be treated as seriously as other discriminations, and policymakers worldwide must take action on povertyism now."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.