NEW YORK -- The haunting images of African Americans stranded in New Orleans are powerful evidence of the fate of the dispossessed in the United States. The extent of the divide between rich and poor was clearly shown during a recent visit to the U.S. by Arjun Sengupta, an independent expert on human rights and extreme poverty for the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. The U.S. was chosen for the expert's visit to illustrate that poverty is a global problem, regardless of a country's gross domestic product, and that it should be more seriously addressed.

Sengupta visited six different states, going to poverty stricken urban areas, and holding consultations with groups of homeless people and with several national civil society organizations. From meetings held with both workers and unemployed people, he was able to analyze the impact of poverty on the poorest sectors of the population.

Although there are several federal and state social-benefit systems in the U.S., a variety of obstacles such as the high cost of health care and the lack of adequate housing lead people further into poverty and can be considered an abuse of their human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes everyone's "right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care."