The Locust Effect: Why the End of Poverty Requires the End of Violence

I have been reading this book and it is very powerful. It is easy for us to totally ignore the violence that goes on against the poor in developing countries and this book brings that startling reality to life. We often try to help the poor by providing food, clean water, and medical care. While those things are good and important, they do very little to help the poor until we can deal with the violence that they suffer every day. This is certainly not a book for the faint of heart, but it is one that will leave you changed!

This is a practical guide to helping save the lives of the most vulnerable in the 21st century. "The Locust Effect: Why The End of Poverty Requires The End of Violence" has three major parts. Part 1: THE PROBLEM: In true prosecutorial form, Haugen and Boutros convincingly make the case that there are 2.5 billion people, in the world today, who are not safe and need our help. Citing a report by the United Nations, the book explains "Most poor people do not live under the shelter of the law, but far from the law's protection". Part 2: HOW WE GOT HERE: "Sadly, the public justice systems in the developing world not only fail to protect the poor from violence, but they actually perpetrate violence, protect perpetrators, and make poor people less safe." Part 3: THE SOLUTION In Chapter 10: "It's Been Done Before" and Chapter 11: "Demonstration Projects of Hope", Haugen and Boutros provide real life examples of how reforms have been made to the criminal justice systems in the developing world. It's a glimpse to what is possible when people are awakened to reality of this plague of violence afflicting the poor and we make it a priority to address the complex issues.

An absolute must read that will challenge all readers at a soul deep level! The stories are haunting and ever so real. They paint a picture that often goes unseen by most of us in the developed world. A dark and horrible picture of the plague of everyday violence that face the global poor. Billions of people who live outside the protection of law, undermining all of our best efforts to rescue them from this crushing poverty. This book is a desperate cry for those of us with a voice to be a voice for those the world has forgotten. A beacon of hope that change is possible. Effective public justice systems can be built. Change can happen. It will be costly, difficult, and dangerous, but to ignore it would be inhumane. Buy this book. Read this book. Be a part of the change. Make a difference. Be human.