9 January 2025 03:00 am Views - 1338
Sharmali Jayaweera, a mother of four, hopelessly accepting her fate while living in poverty-stricken conditions
(Pix by Zainab Hussein)
Urban poverty, which is most prevalent in Colombo, has often been overlooked
Women in poverty-stricken urban neighbourhoods have been marginalised and trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty across generations
While struggling to make ends meet, these women in poverty must also protect their children from the harsh conditions around them
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A large pile of garbage dumped in Wekanda, which is responsible for the rise in infections among children in the area
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While rural and estate sector poverty has been recognised and discussed, urban poverty which is most prevalent in Colombo, has often been overlooked. Policy development and various institutions have also been biased towards rural poverty. It is only over the recent decades that urban sector issues started to gain more attention. When asked about the main factors contributing to urban poverty in Colombo,
Prof. Siri Hettige, Senior Professor of Sociology at the University of Colombo, said “It is the lack of formal employment along with social protection. This group of people are the most vulnerable in society since they don’t have a regular income. They are not in a position to access state or private owned financial resources to settle down in and around the city; especially with the soaring land prices. Consequently, they end up living in shanties”.
Feminization of poverty
The women in poverty-stricken urban neighbourhoods have been marginalised and trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty across generations. The rising cost of living has only made them even more vulnerable since their daily struggles, including access to education and healthcare, are often neglected by the government and the public.
Prof. Hettige stated that urban poverty disproportionately affects women mainly due to drug addiction and alcoholism which has become a sub-culture in most low income settlements; a habit among men which has a huge impact on the family. “Since the husbands spend their earnings on alcohol to escape from economic pressures, the women and children bear the consequences; often becoming victims of domestic abuse, which has gradually worsened with the economic crisis.
Many women of this economic strata work as maids, cleaners or take on other small scale jobs. Despite their endurance, the financial burden of even the most basic needs only adds to their plight.
Chethana Madhubashini, 25, a Ratmalana slum dweller, who has lived alongside the railway tracks since birth, remarked “Most women here are housewives, but some work as cleaners or tea makers since the men don’t provide for their families; spending their wages on alcohol or cigarettes.” She further claimed that many children in the area have become increasingly addicted to drugs, with some being sent to hostels by the authorities after repeated warnings about skipping school. “My mother stitches saffron robes and my dad is employed too. We are doing well compared to the others here as you can see” Chethana said. The houses she pointed at are makeshift homes on the verge of collapse and barely have space for even one individual. She explained that during high tides, their homes are inundated and the water washes away their belongings. There are days when the rain water leaks through the broken roofs during the monsoons.
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Prof. Siri Hettige
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While struggling to make ends meet, these women must also protect their children from the harsh conditions around them.
Sharmali Jayaweera, 29, a mother of four living in the same area, said, “Life is very tough here, especially with the increase in prices. Our economic situation prevents us from educating our children; we barely make enough to survive”. She further added that there are fights everyday and that women often face violence at the hands of their husbands. “The last set of people received flats about 15 years ago, but the rest of us are stuck here,” said a disheartened Sharmali while being engaged in brushing her youngest son’s hair.
Most families are burdened with increasing debts and struggles just to afford daily essentials, with no collateral for emergencies.
R.I.F. Shafna, 33, a lifelong resident of an impoverished neighbourhood in Wekanda, Slave Island, shared “We have no savings since all our income is spent on household needs, including the rent for this small space. I used to work, but had to quit recently when my child became severely ill.
Many children here have fallen ill owing to the large pile of garbage dumped in the area around two weeks back by some ‘big shot’, with the promise of cleaning it up but nothing has been done yet.” Education is often given the lowest priority among poverty-stricken communities yet most people have grasped its importance and help their children lead better lives. This drives them to work hard for the sake of their children’s futures.
Shafna’s sister, Fathima Yumna, 29, remarked “My husband works for a daily wage, and life is extremely difficult. But, we will ensure that our children are sent to school when they’re older, so that they will be educated enough to pursue a well-paying career.”
Pushpa Leela, 54, is another resident in the area, who looks after her two grandchildren while her daughter works abroad as a maid. “We had to shift here 5 months ago because we couldn’t afford anywhere else. My daughter is the only provider for the family. She sends money, but our financial situation remains the same nonetheless, having two meals a day is a rare luxury,” Pushpa remarked.
What comes to the mind of this writer is an iconic quote from the Oscar-winning movie ‘Parasite’ that depicts the idea of the unjust class stratification system and the parasitic nature of capitalism, or rather, how the elite often leech off the poor. “When I get rich I will buy this house, all you have to do is walk up those stairs”. This symbolic line contradicts the core belief of contemporary capitalism, which suggests that with hard work, anyone can rise to a higher economic status. In reality, however, upward mobility remains a distant fantasy. When asked about how the marginalisation of women affect their social mobility and opportunities for upward economic mobility, Prof. Hettige said, “
The main issue lies in the vicious cycle of poverty and the ‘reproduction of marginalization’, which they cannot escape from due to their socio-economic situation. Thus, their hardships perpetuate and law enforcement alone cannot resolve the issues as it is structurally rooted.” In Sri Lanka, pro-poor policies have been in place for decades, with free healthcare, education and subsidised food. However, recent analysis of programmes focused on female self-employment show that in most cases, there has been no increase in their income levels. Poverty reduction initiatives are only temporary strategies to protect low income families, but cannot address macro policies that create poverty. Prof. Hettige said “The state’s priorities have shifted away from this concern and overall, social issues have been rather neglected. Under neo-liberal policies, outsourcing has become a common practice, reducing the role of the public service.
Therefore, urban poverty- related projects are also handled by NGO’s which only offers a temporary solution.” He further emphasised that it is crucial to have an urban development policy to improve the living conditions of the victims to urban poverty. “Though we have institutions such as the Urban Development Authority and Municipal Councils that focus on these matters, they have outsourced various projects to private entities. The lack of coordination and continuity results in merely short-term fixes. However, a comprehensive policy framework for urban affairs as a whole is essential for a long-term solution to urban poverty,” he said.