If superstitious beliefs like witchcraft and sorcery or black magic couple up with the poverty, sound physical and mental health is impossible. Contagious diseases other forms of illness plague the poor. All these factories deprive the poor of even daily wage earning opportunity. Progress of the poor becomes difficult.
However, the poor continue to increase in numbers. Their families continue to become bigger and their population assumes large proportion. Small dwelling space, big families lead to another set of problems. Forced to use contaminated water, leading life in unhygienic surroundings, the challenges before the poor become bigger and bigger.
In spite of a lot efforts and money being spent by government on their progress, the poor in backward countries are unable to enjoy benefits. Most of the earnings of these people are spent on treatment of ill health. The governments of these countries continue to allocate more funds to primary education and health facilities. Had the society been healthy, the government would have spent these funds on creating more employment opportunities instead of spending on treatment of illness.
It is an established fact that floods famines, earthquakes and storms, affect the poor the most.
In a developing country like India, social problems like child marriages and child labor are important. Usually, child marriages involve young girls, the groom being much older. In a traditional society, ridden by caste, religion and economic backwardness, girls are married at a very young age to `protect the family and caste status.’
Parents fear that as the girl grows older, it would be difficult to find a groom for her. In earlier times, there were also some superstitious beliefs that stipulated that parents would go to hell if the girl were married late. They also believed that the girl would be obedient to a husband who was much older than she was.
Earlier, when the agrarian societies prevailed, big families were required for division of labor and sharing of tasks. That is why child marriages were promoted. Now there is a sea change in agriculture. Non agricultural occupations are growing. Employment opportunities based on education are available.
Social reformers along with the government played a major role in helping the society to largely overcome the custom of child marriages. They first the age of marriage extend to fourteen years for girls. This was gradually increased to eighteen for girls and twenty –one for boys, as it stands now.
The problem of dowry in families where there were more daughters to be married was also responsible for the early marriages when child marriages were more, child labor was also rampant. At present earning capacity makes the girls eligible for marriages. In most areas, compulsory free education provides relief to the girl. Inspire of this, however, child marriages continue in some places even.