A ghetto is a part of a city where people from a particular group live, usually because they have been forced to live there or because poverty and discrimination make it hard to live anywhere else.

In Venice, Italy, Jewish people were required by law to live in one isolated neighborhood starting in 1516. During World War II, the Nazis forced Jewish people in occupied countries to live in sealed-off ghettos before sending them to concentration camps. These historical ghettos were places of great suffering where people were trapped against their will.

Today, the word often describes poor urban neighborhoods where minority groups live, usually because of economic hardship and past discrimination rather than legal requirements. These modern ghettos often lack good schools, safe housing, and job opportunities. While no laws force people to stay, poverty and unequal treatment can make it difficult to leave.

The word has a painful history and reminds us how discrimination and inequality can concentrate people in struggling neighborhoods. Understanding ghettos helps us recognize that where people live isn't always a free choice, and that communities deserve investment, opportunity, and respect regardless of their circumstances.