Charities stand accused of not helping the needy help themselves.
Charity is not seen by everyone as a positive and constructive aspect of society. Although charities send a significant amount of aid and money to the people, places and animals of the world that need it most, some people have concerns about where the money actually goes and how it is distributed. Charity organizations have also been criticized for their inability to fight the root of the problems they target.
Symptoms vs. Causes
From homeless drug users to the deforestation of the Amazon Rain Forest, charities reach far and wide in their aid. But critics say they do little to stem or stop the problems at the source. Many charities are accused of providing only short-term solutions for an otherwise growing and worsening problem. Poverty charities, for example, help and treat those without financial support, but only a fraction of the organization's donations might be used toward changing government legislation and brokering global economic deals to stop poverty at its source.
Self-Defeating Charities
Critics say charities are too self-defeating and that they take pressure away from the institutions and organizations that need to be held responsible for the problems. For example, helping the homeless provides shelter and food for those who need it. However, reducing the numbers of homeless deaths, drug users and criminals takes pressure away from the local governments that are failing to provide shelter and drug treatment programs. The local government could then cut resources for the homeless because the charities are doing the work for them.
Inhumanity and Reliance
In an interview with Ode Magazine, Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, said that charity does not provide the basis for a strong human relationship between people. Yunus' point was that through the continuous giving of charities, those in need are labeled as people who cannot fend for themselves. This demoralizes people, Yunus said, and it makes it difficult for them to break away from the label they have been given. Charity also prevents them from helping themselves. Charities that continually give can condition those with problems to expect charity when adverse circumstances arise. Giving money and resources to poorer countries in need of shelter and water is helpful in the short term, but without educating people on install new water pumps and build more shelters, those countries become reliant on donations.
Aggressive Campaigning
Some street fundraisers have been accused of being too aggressive.
Charities can be known for their aggressive and guilt-trip campaign strategies. Street fundraisers -- also known as charity muggers or "chuggers" -- have become a particular problem in some places because they aggressively harass people on the street into giving money. Local councils and governments are implementing restrictions on where and how they can operate. Some street fundraisers earn commission on donations, which gives them further incentive to use aggressive tactics.
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