Global apartheid facts for kids

Global apartheid is a term used to describe how some parts of the world, often richer countries, control most of the world's resources, money, and power. It's like a worldwide system where a small group has a lot of control, similar to how things used to be in South Africa during the time of apartheid.

In South Africa, apartheid was a system where a minority group, mainly white people, controlled almost everything. Other groups, especially non-white people, were kept separate and didn't have access to the same resources or opportunities. The idea of global apartheid suggests that a similar kind of unfairness exists on a global scale.

Even though it's not officially based on race, this global system often shows a big difference between richer and poorer countries. For example, some countries have more power in important global decisions, while others have less. This can lead to a situation where a small percentage of the world's population, often from wealthier nations, controls a large share of the world's income and technology.

Understanding Global Apartheid

What Does It Mean?

Global apartheid means that there's a big gap between different parts of the world. Think of it like a ladder where some countries are at the top, having more influence and resources, and others are at the bottom, struggling to get what they need. This isn't always about race directly, but it often shows up as differences between people from different regions or backgrounds.

For example, countries that are very wealthy often have more control over new technologies and powerful weapons. Even though white people are a minority in the world, people from historically powerful Western countries often hold a lot of influence in global affairs.

How It Works

Many Western countries have laws against treating people unfairly because of their race. However, the idea of global apartheid suggests that unfairness can still happen in less obvious ways. Sometimes, systems and rules that seem normal can still give advantages to some groups or countries over others. This is called "institutional" or "indirect" discrimination. It means that without anyone intending to be racist, the way things are set up can still create unequal opportunities worldwide.

Thabo Mbeki and the Term

The term "global apartheid" became well-known when Thabo Mbeki, who was the President of South Africa at the time, used it in a speech in 2002. He talked about how the world's economy, people's access to natural resources, and overall status reminded him of the apartheid era in his own country.

Mbeki learned about the term from a book called Unravelling Global Apartheid (1996) by Titus Alexander. Alexander is a person who works for global democracy and was present at an important meeting called the UN Millennium Summit.

Images for kids

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  A fence between San Diego in California and Tijuana, Mexico. Strong border controls that make it hard for people from poorer countries (the Global South) to move to richer countries (the Global North) are sometimes seen as an example of global apartheid.