Mainstreaming marginalized groups in development: role of civil society organizations (CSOs)?

Abstract

Marginalization of the elderly, children, women and people living with HIV/AIDS is a global phenomenon while being extremely severe in areas which are less developed. It is imperative for Civil Society Organizations to integrate them in every aspect of their activities. In this background, this paper assessed the role of Civil Society Organizations in mainstreaming the marginalized groups in the society. Disability is a major challenge when discriminatory social structures are being discussed. Persons with disability as a monolithic group can be challenging since they are diverse in terms of additional identity markers such as class, race, gender and age groups. Civil Society Organizations need to take this groups into consideration for the above mentioned reasons. This can be done best by integrating their interests and needs into the organizations’ policies and considering them throughout the project cycle. HIV and AIDs as a health status have social impacts surpassing physical infections and weakening immunity system. These social impacts emanate from the attitudes and thinking held and developed by societies. In some cases, people living with HIV or AIDS have been rejected by their loved ones and their communities, unfairly treated in the workplace, and denied access to education and health services. Therefore, there is a need to have policies which direct the organizations’ work which would in turn trickle down into planning at the community and institutional levels as well as setting of monitoring and evaluation indicators. Children are the large group in our communities excluded from decision making and as a result marginalized from most development activities both as a beneficiary and a stakeholder. It is essential to involve children in decisions which directly or indirectly affect them since it is their right to participate. Their participation should also be result oriented in providing child friendly services as well as ensuring child protection. Elderly people are another group of marginalized and there is a need for CSOs to ensure their health, water and sanitation as well as food security programs include concerns of the elderly in societies. In many parts of the world, we find groups which are excluded from the society as a result of their occupation. It is important to include those marginalized on the basis of their occupation in the works of Civil Society Organizations as the main objective since they occupy the lowest strata of societies.