How Poverty is a Violation of Two Specific Human rights

If you are asked by your Life Orientation Teacher to discuss two ways how poverty is a violation of two specific human rights, as mentioned in the Constitution, you will need to first know what human rights are, and then you can identify the exact rights that are linked to people’s daily living conditions, as mentioned in the Constitution.

The teacher here wants to assess these four things from Grade 12 LO learners:

• If you understand the link between real-life issues and the Constitution
• If you can identify and explain specific human rights correctly
• If you can apply human rights to real community problems like poverty
• If you can give a logical explanation, not just repeat the textbook

How Poverty is a Violation of Human Rights from the Constitution

Poverty is considered a violation of human rights from the South African Constitution because it limits access to basic needs like food, education, health care, and housing. Poverty also stops people from fully enjoying their rights to dignity, freedom, and equality.

That is why poverty is not just a social issue — it is a human rights issue, because it takes away the most important rights that are supposed to be guaranteed to every South African citizen.

Two Human Rights That Poverty Violates

There are many human rights in the Constitution of South Africa, but here we are focusing specifically on the two rights which are directly violated by the existence of poverty itself among South African communities:

First one: The Right to Access Basic Services (Section 27)

This includes the right to have access to food, water, health care, and social assistance. When a person lives in poverty, they often go to bed hungry, cannot afford medical treatment, and have no access to clean water — which means this right is not being fulfilled.

Second one: The Right to Human Dignity (Section 10)

Poverty strips people of dignity. When someone cannot afford clothing, shelter, sanitary products, or even basic school needs, their sense of self-worth is broken. They are often looked down on, excluded, and embarrassed, which goes directly against the constitutional right to be treated with dignity.