CHAPTER TWO

In a country known worldwide for its massive oil reserves, wealth, and lavish royalty, an estimated 25 percent of Saudis live below the poverty line. Only a few miles from the over- decorated shopping malls of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital city, is the home of 35 year-old Souad Al-Shamir. Luckier than others who are also poor in the kingdom, she lives in a concrete house on a narrow, trash-strewn alley. Souad is unemployed, has five children less than 14 years of age, and a husband who is unable to work because of chronic heart problems. She admits that their family is in a crisis, her children cry because she cannot provide for them. Millions of Saudis are struggling in the depths of poverty; amongst them are those who live in pathetic run-down slums.

Souad's house is very close to a huge cement factory. The houses and streets in the area are, topped in a haze of smoke and dust. There is much graffiti on the cracked walls of the alley litter is stockpiled on the street. Souad's Landlord has threatened to evict her, and a nearby shop owner has ended her credit for food and gas for her stove. Much of what she lives off is charity from wealthy Saudis who give her food and clothes. Other donations help her pay for the electricity to operate the air conditioner.

Saudi Arabia's strong economy has failed many of its citizens, in particular, the Shiite minority in the Eastern Province. However, unlike most other failures, the Shiite failure is more deliberate in nature, others. Like other governments in the region, minorities and groups that are weak are, most often persecuted in more than one way.

Saudi Arabia’s population rose very sharply from an estimated 6 million in 1970 to 28 million in 2013. The country's social and welfare programs have failed many the royals are not accountable to anyone in the country. Even the religious scholars therein are, employed and paid by them. The royals engage in rampant corruption and spending on extravagant luxury, gambling, drugs, prostitution, palaces, humungous unnecessary weapons contracts, and other wasteful endeavours.

The Saudi Government claims to spends several billion dollars each year enabling its citizens to receive free education and health care for every citizen, social programs and free burials, pensions, monthly benefits and payments for food and utility bills for the poor, elderly, disabled, orphans, and workers injured on the job. Nevertheless, corruption and nepotism, and the siphoning of monies are a big problem; giant fortunes end up in the pockets of greedy people who simply do not care about the predicament of their fellow citizens.

The Saudi Government has long had a policy of hiding many of their poor and slums from the world. "The state hides the poor very well. In 2011, 3 Saudi video bloggers spent 2 weeks in jail because they made an online film about poverty in Saudi Arabia ... The elite do {not} see the suffering of the poor. People are hungry," said Rosie Basheer, a Saudi scholar who has written extensively on development and poverty. (By Kevin Sullivan for the Washington Post, January 1, 2013; theguardian.com: Saudi Arabia's riches conceal a growing problem of poverty)

Estimates from press reports and individuals indicate that there are between two and 4 million Saudis who earn around $530, the 2013 poverty line in Saudi Arabia. Worse yet, the number of people living in poverty are continually rising. 65 to 70 percent of Saudis are under 30, and just under 75 percent of the unemployed are in their 20s, if nothing changes the years to come look very grim.

Many beggars in Saudi Arabia can be, seen at traffic lights, desperate-faced and dirty some are, forced by foreign criminal enterprises to obtain money from passersby. Many are citizens who are desperate to survive; censorship takes care of hiding much of the problem. Research conducted by UNICEF indicated that up to half of child beggars entered the country with their children; many of these children are Yemeni and Nigerian. The number of child beggars on the streets rises sharply during the Holy month of Ramadan and during both Eid holidays.

As reported by the Arab Daily News, in 2010, one homeless child shelter had 6,000 child beggars deported in its 7 years of existence the actual number may be higher. The Al-Bir Welfare Society, which runs the shelter, is under the tutelage of the Saudi Ministry of Social Affairs. In 2010, the shelter handed over hundreds of children for deportation. The shelter receives their beggars from the Saudi authorities the children are housed and taught during which time their parents are, sought out.

“The children we receive are picked up at traffic lights and intersections ... They are taken advantage {of} by gangs to collect money. Most of these gangs are not local, but Nigerian or Yemeni ... If the parents are located abroad, the children are, sent away and united with them. However, if the parents are in Saudi Arabia, they must sign a pledge prohibiting them from ever begging again," said Ahmad Bassoudi, head of media and marketing at the Al-Bir Welfare Society, tells The Media Line. (By David E. Miller - The Media Line, October 21, 2010; jpost.com: Child beggars not welcome in Saudi Arabia)

In early 2015, 190 child beggars were, arrested by Saudi police during raids conducted in Riyadh. Fifty of the beggars were children. The arrests were, made at the homes of the beggars. Police were tracking their moves, and then followed them home. The major anti-begging campaign discovered objects used to defraud unsuspecting Samaritans, including false medical reports, empty medicine boxes, prosthesis, raggedy clothes, and crutches. This is a well-organized criminal enterprise. Saudi police claim to have arrested 8,757 beggars in 2014, 70 percent were foreign nationals, with Yemenis topping the list at about 3,940, 2,260 Saudis, about 1,100 Ethiopians, and 710 Nigerians. The Rohingya Muslims have been slaughtered, tortured, raped, terrorized, expelled from their homelands, have seen many of their villages torched to the ground, and have been belittled and demonized by the Myanmar Government, its security forces, and fanatic nationalists Myanmar nationalists. Rohingyas are, considered Bangladeshi migrants, with non-citizens, and deserving of expulsion. This is, in spite the Rohingya living in the Rakhine State for many generations. The following quote is from a Rohingya Muslim woman, but it is typical of the predicament of many of her people, “Our husbands (Families, neighbours, friends, and other people) are on the run. They left us because they are afraid of border guard police,” one Rohingya woman told AFP requesting anonymity for safety reasons ... They burned our house. We have no home and nothing to eat. Our husbands are hiding somewhere.” (By Hla Hla Htay, July 19, 2017; mg.co.za: Myanmar's Rohingya: Cornered by poverty, stalked by violence)

Many homeless refugee Rohingyas who are on the run with no place to call home and those in filthy refugee camps may die caused by a lack of food, shelter, diseases and lack of medical care, little or no hygiene protection, the elements, lack of shelter and security, and water. Many people are living in muddy, horrible conditions. As of September2010, more than Rohingya Muslims (Note that at the time of this writing the number was still rising) have fled their homes, villages, and/or Myanmar. This is nothing short of an ethnic cleansing campaign.

“Many people are arriving hungry, exhausted and with no food or water ... I'm particularly worried that the demand for food, shelter, water and basic hygiene support is not being met due to the sheer number of people in need. If families can't meet their basic needs, the suffering will get even worse and lives could be lost,” said Mark Pierce, Bangladesh country director for the Save the Children aid agency. (By Thomson Reuters, September 17, 2017 via cbc.ca: Rohingya refugees' access to food, water an increasing concern)

Doctors Without Borders (MSF: MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES) warns that Bangladesh`s refugee camps housing Rohingya Muslims are on the verge of a ‘public health disaster’. DWB reports that filthy water and fecal matter flow through camps currently overcrowded with refugees. To compound this problem, in Bangladesh there are dreadful shortages of practically all forms of refugee relief.

“We are receiving adults every day on the cusp of dying from dehydration ... That's very rare among adults, and signals that a public health emergency could be just around the corner... There is a complete absence of latrines ... When you walk through the settlement, you have to wade through streams of dirty water and human faeces,” said Kate White, MSF emergency medical coordinator. (BY AFP, September 22, 2017 via msn.com: Rohingya refugee camps on the brink of a 'health disaster': MSF)

According to a UN report issued in early 2017, babies and children have been, butchered with knives in the course of a military operation conducted by Burmese security forces against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar (formerly Burma). Victimized in this onslaught were, an eight-month old baby a five year-old, and a six year-old child, reported to have been, stabbed to death while in their own homes. It is, believed that the security forces continue to kill scores of people and commit crimes against humanity with impunity, in, a Rohingya populated area in northwest Rakhine State (previously Arakan; a state in Myanmar located on the western coast).

The horrifying accounts have been called 'revolting' by the UN, cited in, a report from the United Nations Human Rights office. The report was, released early due to its highly distressing nature and was, derived from interviews with more than 200 Rohingya Muslim refugees who had recently crossed over into Bangladesh, escaping the horrors of the Rakhine atrocities. One mother explained that her five year-old daughter tried to protect her from being raped, during which time a man pulled out a knife and then slit her throat. Another harrowing story involves an eight-month old baby believed to have been, killed while his mother was being gang-raped. A fourteen year-old girl was, raped by soldiers and was, then forced to watch her mother be beaten to death; her eight and ten year-old sisters were butchered with knives.

Despite the countless testimonies of victim accounts, witnesses, and documentation concerning crimes against humanity against the Rohingya people, the Rohingya Government is still in a state of denial, refusing to believe any of the evidence or documentation, claiming that it is propaganda, saying that police beatings are common in many countries. During one particular operation in Rakhine, well-armed Myanmar security forces rounded up men (many Rohingya men and women have disappeared), placed them in vehicles, and then went house-to- house raping, gang-raping, or sexually harassing women and girls, and in some instances, children who were crying or, attempted to stop the security forces from harming their mothers were killed. Another case involves a group of militant villagers locking up an entire family in a house, not sparing the elderly or disabled, and then setting it ablaze; not surprisingly, all of the occupants died, many accounts by victims describe being mocked during attacks, and had to endure insulting and hostile remarks about ALLAH; Muslims worship HIM.

As conveyed to the Independent by Linnea Arvidsson, one of the four UN workers who interviewed Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and drew up the report, “It’s shocking. I’ve never encountered a situation like this, where you do 204 interviews and every single person you speak with has a traumatic story, whether their house was burnt, they’ve been raped or a relative was killed or taken away ... In many cases we were the first people, other than their close family, who these people had spoken to. They would break down. Women and even grown men would be crying ... The women cried when they spoke of being, raped, or seeing their children, being, killed. Men cried when they related how their houses had been burnt, and their concerns over how they would now be able to support their families." (By May Bulman, February 3, 2017; independent.co.uk: Burma: Rohingya Muslim babies and children 'being slaughtered with knives', UN warns)

This particular wave of attacks on, Rohingya Muslims was supposedly, triggered in October 2016, during which time nine Myanmar police officers, were, killed during an attack on posts near the Bangladesh border. However, the truth is, the crimes against humanity inflicted upon the Rohingya had preceded the attack on the police. Furthermore, the vast majority of the victims are defenceless and clearly, no sane person could imagine they posed a danger to anyone. Rohingya have had to endure many years of brutality, abuse, persecution, and discrimination by the Myanmar authorities, and now militant, hardliner, Buddhist monks.

“The Government of Myanmar must immediately halt these grave human rights violations against its own people, instead of continuing to deny they have occurred, and accept the responsibility to ensure that victims have access to justice, reparations and safety,” said Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, The UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights. (ibid)

Shockingly, in 2015 the U.S. led a pull back of economic sanctions against Myanmar. Internationally supported national elections took place in November 2015. Nevertheless, according to a harrowing study conducted by International State Crime Initiative (ISCI) at the Queen Mary University of London (ISCI), the Rohingya are facing the final stages of state-sponsored genocide. Powerful interest groups, hardliners from Myanmar's Buddhist majority, and government authorities are instigating atrocities against the Rohingya people.

The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs official mission is to, ‘To fulfill President Lincoln's promise’ "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" ‘by serving and honouring the men and women who are America's veterans’.” (va.gov: About VA)

Veteran poverty is a fact. Many veterans have sacrificed years of their lives, some beginning in their youth, to serve their country. Some have sacrificed their mental and physical health, others have returned home maimed. Veteran unemployment and underemployment, and poverty are facts. In 2012, the poverty rate for American veterans was just under 7 percent compared to nearly 14.5 percent for the general population. Setting aside the percentages, 1.5 million veterans are at the poverty level in the United States, the rate for the 18 to 34 years of age cohort is the highest of any group, comprising mainly of veterans of the Gulf War and Afghanistan.

The numbers of veterans making use of food stamps is rising, but is still lower than the rate for non-veterans; nevertheless, it is rising at a considerably faster pace. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides nutrition assistance to millions of eligible American individuals and families in the low-income bracket, and economic aid to communities. SNAP is the largest program in the domestic hunger safeguard. SNAP has seen a significant rise in veteran applications for the program. Nearly a million households with veterans residing in them receive SNAP assistance.

Mental illness and desperation are a daily challenge for many American veterans. According to the Veterans Administration (VA) an average of 22 veterans, commit suicide every single day. Research conducted by the Los Angeles Times indicated that veterans are more than twice as likely as other civilians to commit suicide; note that this does not take into consideration the rate of suicide ideation (Thinking about committing suicide).

The rate of suicide among full-time military personnel is also higher than the national average for civilians, in particular among male soldiers. According to USA Today, civilian males have a suicide rate of almost 20 per 100,000 compared to nearly 32 per 100,000 for male soldiers, and slightly over 34 per 100,000 for National Guardsmen.

According to a U.S. Senate report, more than 1.4 million American veterans are living below the poverty line, and the same number, are living just above the poverty line. 12.5 percent of veterans in the 18 to 34 year-old age cohort are living in a state of poverty. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, more than 900,000 veterans reside in households receiving food stamps. The VA reports that more than 3.5 million veterans are receiving disability benefits, and markedly more than 350,000 are receiving death benefits.

In January 2016, communities across the United States determined that there were nearly 39,500 homeless veterans during point-in-time count. The good news is that this number is considerably lower than in 2010. As a general rule roughly 90 percent of homeless veterans are male, almost all are single, three out of four are city-dwellers, and more than half have a mental and/or physical disability. Blacks have a nearly 40 percent veteran homeless rate, but only 11 percent of the total veteran population. Following the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts the racial, gender, and age composition of homeless veterans changed. More veterans are younger, female, and heads of households.

Like the general population, veterans who have low socioeconomic status, a mental health ailment or disorder, and/or a history of a substance abuse problem (In particular, ipiod addiction) are more likely to be or eventually become homeless. Additional problems that are more acute in the veteran population include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injuries (TBI), serious or debilitating injuries, or a combination thereof. In addition, veterans who engaged in or were in close proximity to combat or war situations likely witnessed injuries, generalized suffering, and death amongst their own and others. Combat often entails killing the enemy, oftentimes, civilians are, killed; each veteran reacts to this situation in a unique manner. Sometimes, the emotional effects do not manifest themselves until years later.

The never-ending drive to end veteran homelessness will be impaired without the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. Many people hope that this agency will not be, eliminated by President Donald Trump’s (June 14, 1946 - ; 45th President of the United States) budget cuts. In brief, the Council’s function is to coordinate and organize the federal response to homelessness, working jointly with Cabinet Secretaries and other senior leaders across 19 federal member agencies.

"Without coordination and oversight and giving some thought to how the money should best be spent, the money may not go to the people who need it most,” said Hank Hughes, of the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness. (The Associated Press, March 28, 2017 via fortune.com: These Nonprofits Say Trump’s Budget Could Hurt the Fight for Homeless Veterans)

Bruce Cameron, a Canadian veteran, says that after witnessing soldiers die, saving lives in Bosnia, and concentrating on survival, it was difficult to understand a person who was upset over a lost tip at a casino.

“We would go on an operation and get shot at, get ridiculed, get broken glass thrown at us, bombs dropped on us... I started working at the casino and to come to understand that what’s important there was somebody didn’t get a tip – they wanted a dollar and they didn’t get a dollar – was tough.” (By Carolyn Thompson, Windsor Star July 15, 2014; windsorstar.com: Many veterans Face Low-income Levels, Poverty after Service - With Video)

Cameron like many other Canadian veterans asserts that adjusting to civilian life after military service was challenging, and he had few supports to help him make the conversion. As indicated in a report released by Statistics Canada, between 1998 and 2012 approximately 1 in 3 veterans who left the military found it very difficult or somewhat difficult to accustom to civilian life. Around 1 in 7 veterans were at a low-income level for at least one year, and approximately 40 percent were recipients of employment insurance.

Cameron served in combat arms for over 20 years in Bosnia and Central America, retiring in 2002. He received a $20,000 pension, not enough to pay his mortgage and care for his daughter. Cameron says that he was still young at the time of his retirement and did not want to leave but was, forced to because he could no longer deploy as a single parent. Although Cameron had been a respected warrant officer commanding a fleet of tanks and leaping out of helicopters in a war zone, there were few job prospects in the Windsor, Ontario job market. The civilian world did not need his military skills. He was, forced to work part-time in a casino getting, laid off 10 years later. As of 2014, Cameron was training to be a truck driver.

Mike Akpata is an Afghanistan veteran and Windsor, Ontario police officer said, “It is the stress of what you have done. It is the shutting the adrenaline pump off when you get home. It is the trying to explain to people who are close to you whether you want to talk about it or don’t want to talk about it ... You’re carrying that weight and now you go to a (potential employer) and they say to you, thank you very much, you don’t have the skill set we need.” (ibid)

The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) is a national network of individuals who are presently homeless or who have been homeless in the past. Also included are activists and advocates, community and religious-based service providers, and other caring people devoted to one mission: To end homelessness while providing the immediate needs of those who are homeless, and the protection of their civil rights. NCH visualizes and foresees a world where every single person has a safe, adequate, affordable, and accessible home.

NCH traces its roots to 1981, when Robert Hayes, the founder, filed a lawsuit on behalf of a homeless New York City man. The lawsuit was, settled out of court, resulting in the granting of the right to a shelter for homeless people in New York City. NCH is a tax-exempt not for profit organization. Issues dealt with include housing, employment and income, healthcare, criminalization, elder homelessness, LGBT homelessness, youth homelessness, and veteran homelessness. Contemporary campaigns include a National Day of Action for Housing held on April 1, 2017 in Washington, D.C. and communities across the United States, Housing Not Handcuffs Campaign, Homeless Bill of Rights, Hate Crimes and Violence Prevention, You Don't Need a Home to Vote, and Homeless People Deserve Food Too. NCH reminds people that they can help end homelessness by simply caring (Contribute through food drives, money, etc. Advocate, reach out by volunteering, and Educate). NCH also reminds people not to look away from homeless people as though they do not exist, and give them a smile.

The Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAPAF) 2014 States of the States Report issued its ranking of states compared to others in regards to inequality, poverty, and opportunity. Data for 2014 indicated that 14.5 percent of Americans (45.3 million people) live beneath the poverty line of $23,834 per year calculated for a family of four. The U.S. poverty rate maintains a high level because of the concentration of wealth at the top of the economic spectrum. CAPAF is an independent, non-partisan policy institute and advocacy organization committed to improving the lives of all Americans, through determined and strong-willed progressive ideas, as well as able leadership and coordinated action. CAPAF believes that America should be a land of limitless opportunity, where people can move up the economic ladder.

BELOW IS A LIST OF THE 10 POOREST STATES IN THE UNITED STATES BASED ON CAPAF'S 2014 STUDY (KEEP IN MIND THAT FOR SIMPLICITY SAKE, I HAVE ROUNDED OFF SOME OF THE STATISTICS):

1. Mississippi has a poverty rate of just over 24 percent, with nearly 696,000 people living below the poverty line.
2. New Mexico has a poverty rate of 31 percent for children, many of which are homeless. The overall poverty rate is 22 percent. New Mexico has the highest teen birth rate in the country. In 2012, 3,900 public sector workers lost their jobs.
3. Louisiana has a nearly 20 percent poverty rate, and is the most asymmetrical state in the country regarding gender wage gap. In 2013, women earned 66 cents for every dollar that men had earned. The overall unemployment rate is just over 6 percent however, the top 20 percent of income households in Louisiana was 18.5 times greater than the bottom 20 percent.
4. Currently, Georgia has a poverty rate of 19 percent, nearly 2 million people living below the poverty line. In 2012, 21 percent of 18 to 24 year-old, were not attending school or were unemployed. Furthermore, nearly 85 percent of unemployed Georgians do not receive any unemployment insurance.
5. Washington, D.C. has the highest level of income disparity in the country. In 2013, the top 20 percent of households earned just over 30 times that of the bottom 20 percent. In 2012, 59 percent of high school students graduated; the national average is just above 80 percent.
6. Kentucky has a poverty rate at nearly 19 percent, and a staggering 8 percent unemployment rate, one of the highest in the country. Parts of eastern Kentucky have been, hit extra hard by unemployment.
7. Alabama has a poverty rate of just under, 19 percent, over 25 percent of children live in poverty. According to the Montgomery Advertiser, nearly one million Alabamians relied on food stamps in 2013.
8. Arizona has a poverty rate of 18.6 percent. The number of Arizonians relying on welfare is very