2. Poverty
International Network
Ten issues for a new mobilization
2. To fight poverty
Ambivalence of globalization "Globalization is notably ambivalent and therefore needs to be managed with great prudence. This will include giving priority to the needs of the world's poor, and overcoming the scandal of the imbalance between the problems of poverty and the measures, which have been adopted in order to redress it. The imbalance lies both in the cultural and political order and in the spiritual and moral order. ... What the fight against poverty really needs are men and women who live in a profoundly fraternal way and are able to accompany individuals, families and communities on journeys of authentic human development.Pope Benedict XVI "Fighting Poverty to Build Peace" 1 January 2009 World Day of Peace |
30 Poverty, in which a large part of the population survives, is a major restraint to the realization of rights of the child. Poverty persists in the long term when there is a multiplication of discriminations.
Today, almost half of people living in absolute poverty are children. Because of their vulnerability, they will be the first ones to suffer from the current economic and financial crisis. It is therefore a matter of urgency to manage globalization so that its benefits are shared more equally in order to avoid an increase in inequalities within and between countries, and to guarantee an improvement of the most vulnerable sectors of the population, in particular children. Extreme poverty concerns all countries.
Poverty and exclusion of children in Europe
"...Poverty and exclusion often generate a loss of children self-esteem, physical and behaviour disorders, and disappointing school results [32].
In particular, this challenge concerns migrant children, children belonging to minorities, children living in single-parent families or with one or both parents unemployed or sick. This is a growing concern in Europe and the CIS. Recent reports have estimated up to 18 million the number of children under the age of 15 living in extreme poverty in South Eastern Europe and in the CIS. In European areas with higher incomes, the percentage of children living in a family with an income lower than half of the national average increases. It even exceeds 15% in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and in Portugal.
Nowadays, poverty threatens 19% of children in the European Union. This was one of the reasons why the European Commission declared 2010 "European Year of Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion". The aim of this initiative is to call upon all the Union citizens and all public, social and economic actors concerned by the eradication of this plight." [33]
The fight against poverty and particularly extreme poverty allows improving health care, diminishing violence, and implementing all the dimensions of a responsible parenthood in order to ensure children's well-being and to start a positive cycle of development.
[32] See also "Family, childhood and poverty", 2007 statistics by Secours Catholique, 2008.
[33] Europe-CIS Position Paper p. 10.
