Exploring Vulnerability, the First Step to Making Social Impact

This short essay was written for TIJ-IGLP Problem Lab 2021, a series of foresight workshops for executive leaders on the topics of social justice. The piece was used to prepare participants for discussion about vulnerable groups.

At the Problem Lab, we will be viewing social justice through the lens of human-centered design. This means that we begin addressing any problem by first identifying the vulnerable groups. Before we can dive into talking about how to define vulnerable groups and how social justice can help support them, it is important to first examine the concept of vulnerability in its nuances and its characteristics in the present day as its meaning has evolved. The New Oxford American Dictionary gives the following definition:

Vul·ner·a·bil·i·ty [noun]
“the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally”

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This definition crystallizes an important idea that vulnerability is not merely about being exposed to risks at the present, but also about the “possibility” of being at risk in the future or as Stevens et al. refers to as “a web of contingencies”[1]. Vulnerability is thus a dynamic concept; it is constantly changing with time, and so the vulnerability of different social groups needs to be constantly reassessed. Moreover, the definition highlights the importance of looking ahead to the problems vulnerable groups may face in the near future and the emergence of other potentially vulnerable groups to adequately prepare for risks.

In addition, since vulnerability is about “possibility” we can infer that, in reality, everyone may be vulnerable to some degree. That being said, some groups are more vulnerable than others depending on resources available to cope with potential risks[2]. For instance, while COVID-19 is a threat that touches every human on earth, it is not affecting every individual to the same degree. In Thailand, the risk is much higher for people living in slums because many cannot afford physical distancing, for foreign migrants because they do not have access to healthcare, and for sex workers due to their income insecurity. These examples illustrate the role of resources in reducing vulnerability, whether it be personal, communal, or national; the “degree of vulnerability is related to the outcome of the interaction of personal resources and environmental supports”[3].

Even within the same city, the amount of resources one can get is highly dependent on physical, economic, social, and political forces, which could leave marginalized people — whether it be due to their ethnicity, beliefs, gender, or other parts of their identity — without sufficient support to maintain a good standard of living[4].

Therefore, although everyone may be vulnerable, certain groups are more prone to vulnerability than others due to varying access to resources. It is important to help those in need in the present as well as being proactive to reduce risks from the loss of resources that may occur in the near future.

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With this understanding of vulnerability, who might we classify as a vulnerable group and how do we determine their vulnerabilities?

These three guiding questions, adapted from the International Federation of Red Cross for use in disaster management, could be applied to frame a clear understanding of a group’s vulnerability. Note that answers to these questions may vary with the individual’s experiences with the topic.

1. Who is vulnerable?
2. To what particular risks are they vulnerable?
3. What makes them vulnerable to that risk?

The most common examples of vulnerable groups include migrants, homeless people, young children, pregnant women, and people with AIDs. They often lack access to basic human rights such as shelter, food, healthcare, and sufficient resources from their communities to maintain a decent quality of life.

Here is an example of how these questions can be used to describe the vulnerability of refugees from Syria:

1. Syrian refugees in Lebanon are vulnerable.
   “Syrians continue to be the largest forcibly displaced population in the world, with more than 13.4 million people at the end of 2019… more than half of the Syrian population”[5]
2. They are vulnerable to displacement.
   “80% of the world’s displaced people are in countries or territories affected by acute food insecurity and malnutrition”[6]
3. They are vulnerable because there are no refugee camps to shelter them, many are in poverty and do not have the financial means to afford housing.
   “In Lebanon, where more than 1 million Syrian refugees reside, there are no formal refugee camps and approximately 70 percent of Syrian refugees live below the poverty line”[7]

Here is another example of a vulnerable group local to Thailand:

1. Undocumented migrant workers from Myanmar in Thailand are vulnerable.
   “The International Labor Organization (ILO) reported there were nearly 2.8 million registered foreign migrant workers in Thailand in December 2019. But hundreds of thousands more remain undocumented and are at greatest risk of exploitation.”[8]
2. They are vulnerable to job insecurity.
   “Many have become jobless and are not yet eligible for state assistance, nor are they receiving unemployment or unfair-dismissal payments in practice.”[9]
3. They are vulnerable because they do not have social security or welfare protection.
   “In an ILO assessment conducted from April to May, 32% of polled migrant workers fortunate enough to maintain their jobs reported myriad work-related problems such as being pushed to take unpaid leave, an inability to refuse time off during the lockdown, or confiscation of legal documents, such as passports, by their employer.”[10]

After clearly defining a vulnerable group — and acknowledging that we may have assumptions, we can then attempt to gain a better understanding of our vulnerable groups by asking follow-up questions such as: What resources do they have right now? What resources are they lacking? And, what other risks are they exposed to in the near future?

The concept of social justice, which questions the distribution of wealth and opportunities across society, is an apt frame through which we can begin to reduce vulnerability for many communities. Since the most vulnerable populations lack sufficient resources to help them deal with risks due to huge financial and social disparity, supporting those who are struggling now or may be susceptible to future risk can greatly reduce vulnerability, especially for those normally marginalized. This support could be achieved through changing policy, supporting grassroots organizations, or raising awareness. Regardless of the mechanism, one thing is certain: we should always begin with a clear vulnerable group and their circumstances in mind.

References

1. Emily Havrilla, “Defining Vulnerability,” Madridge J Nurs 2, no. 1 (2017): 65. https://doi.org/10.18689/mjn-1000111
2. Havrilla, “Defining Vulnerability,” 64.
3. Havrilla, “Defining Vulnerability,” 65.
4. “What is vulnerability?” IFRC, accessed April 26, 2021, https://www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/disaster-management/about-disasters/what-is-a-disaster/what-is-vulnerability/
5. “Refugee Statistics,” UNHCR, accessed April 26, 2021, https://www.unrefugees.org/refugee-facts/statistics/
6. “Figures at a Glance,” UNHCR, accessed April 26, 2021, https://www.unhcr.org/figures-at-a-glance.html
7. “Refugee Statistics.”
8. Andy Hall, “Thailand’s migrant workers at risk during pandemic,” Asia Times, last modified April 24, 2020, https://asiatimes.com/2020/04/thailands-migrant-workers-at-risk-during-pandemic/
9. Andy Hall, “Thailand’s migrant workers at risk during pandemic.”
10. Zachary Frye, “Migrant workers in Thailand at risk of abuse amid economic slowdown,” Asian Today, last modified July 22, 2020, https://www.aseantoday.com/2020/07/migrant-workers-in-thailand-at-risk-of-abuse-amid-economic-slowdown/