1 child every 10 seconds

[AliceA2021]

1 child dies every second in the world of starvation. Most in sub saharian Africa. That's 3.1 million children per year. Somalia has the highest rate of starving children in the world.

You probably know about Gaza since on the news daily. Starvation of children in other countries continues and at a higher rate.

Why don't we care more? The sheer numbers in some countries Somalia, Yeman, Sudan.

Is it a problem that cannot be sorted. War, high birth rate, low food production.

AIBU that the world's doesn't care for most of these children?

worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/starvation-deaths-by-country

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I suspect that this thread will quietly disappear proving my point that the world doesn't care.

What’s your solution?

People care if they think enough about it, but people have their own issues much closer to home, and many people struggle to provide enough for their own family, let alone those in our own country, let alone those in another country where they cannot even start to fathom that life

People are basically inherently selfish, and I don’t mean that in a negative way, it’s just that they think about themselves first always

There is no real solution let alone an easy one. people can and do send money, but that can entrench other problems or postpone solving difficult political issues.

What would caring look like, in practice?

I do care. However, there is a lot going on here too - we can't fight every battle.

Also, It's very hard to do anything in an area/culture where people are told that contraception is a sin. Thus, the problem continues

And your solution is?

People do care. Millions or even billions are sent to charities every year.

Wealth distribution fairly, throughout the world. It won't happen due to greed.

Too much aid is taken by war mongering men.

Do the world's billionaires need their money. Have they NO SHAME. I guess not.

What are you doing other then starting a thread on here ?

Education on contraception is needed too.

I agree with you about the war mongering men.

I donate monthly too.

What are you doing other than being critical.

It’s very sad for their parents I’m sure, but on a personal level I don’t have any feelings about children I’ve never met whose lives and deaths don’t impact me in any way whatsoever. I suspect most people feel likewise tbh; in addition to “caring” being very abstract and only having any purpose if you turn your “care” into actual action.

I think some countries such as Gaza capture the news due the horrendous war. People march, talk about it but other countries don't get the news, the talking about, even though a far higher number of children die each day of starvation.

I think some children matter to some more than others. Sudan, Yeman doesn't seem to matter to many. Gaza has a story of dominance and so captures people. Yenan not so interesting.

It seems a problem the world is unable to solve or doesn'twant to solve, children dying of hunger in 2024.

What happened with all the money raised for live aid, etc?

And people starving in the UK. What about them?

Why don't we care more?

At the most basic, biological level, I don't think we've evolved to care about what is happening to another group of humans many thousands of miles away.

Go back a few thousand years and while what happened to those tribes / groups living nearby might be of interest (trade, plague, war etc), what happens to those elsewhere wouldn't have featured.

Now of course, we are not living thousands of years ago and we have technology that enables us to get real time updates on those many many miles away. But I still think that level of emotional investment remains low in most cases. We can objectively agree that it is a tragedy, but we don't feel the pain however much we may empathise. We don't see the effects. It is remote to us.

I don't think this makes anyone a bad person. It is an evolutionary hangover.

There is also the question of "what can I as an individual actually do to stop such an awful situation?". It's a pragmatic if perhaps defeatist view. For example, if I donate £100 would that stop it? Probably not. And for many people they feel like they cannot help.

And for those who are old enough to remember LiveAid etc, they have seen this time and time again. No matter what is done, the same situation will keep arising around the world. Now that is not to say that nothing should be done, but compassion fatigue sets in, the dreadful images cease being shocking, and people's focus will return to difficulties that are right in front of them once again.

Very true.

It feels beyond anything I can do even though I do care. Helping out more locally by buying stuff for the foodbank feels more realistic.

What’s your brilliant solution OP?

i think we should care for the people down the road who are starving and the kids down the road living in extreme poverty before we offer more aid overseas.

People don't care except in a sort of oh dear how sad vague sort of way.
Sadly, if you believe the shit you read online, there are people who actually feel that it's a good thing otherwise populations would be even larger.

In general, people only 'care' up to the point that caring affects them in any even slightly negative way. Higher taxes would be a good example of the Caring Ends Here mentality.

I do care. But I have to not lose too much time, energy or sleep on things I cannot change. I can't dwell in despair too long. I focus on things I can do, even if that's just putting a few things in the food bank basket at the supermarket or some old clothes to the charity shop. I don't have the means or the power to make a big difference to these things. But I do sign petitions and raise awareness and do the bits I can. That's all we've got isn't it?

I don't have a brilliant solution. I would hope the richer countries would do more.

I'm not a brilliant mind, with brilliant solutions, I just feel that starving children are ignored.

It's possible to care for people who don't have enough food down the road as well as those in Sudan. It depends on rich governments, countries, people to do more... who needs a yacht worth hundreds of millions, cars worth millions, hordes of money and things.

Greed is awful.