From stigma to rights: uncovering the hidden dimension of poverty

Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona

Chapter 2 in Research Handbook on Human Rights and Poverty, 2026, pp 22-38 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Recently the worldwide understanding of poverty has expanded beyond it being a solely economic issue, into a multidimensional issue that encompasses a lack of both income and the basic capabilities to live in dignity. A key dimension of this expanded understanding is a feeling of shame experienced by those living in poverty due to poverty's stigma. Human rights recognize the stigma as a critical dimension of poverty, but public policies have generally failed to address it. This chapter reviews how stigma and shame are neglected poverty dimensions and shows how negative prejudices against people living in poverty are entrenched in individuals who influence public policies. This chapter concludes that applying a rights-based approach to define the dimensions of poverty requires emphasizing the experience of those living in poverty. Policymakers must give attention to the stigma and shame of poverty and include individuals living in poverty in the policymaking process.

Keywords: Poverty; Human rights; Stigma; Shame; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035350506
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