International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

The socio-economic disadvantages disproportionately affecting families in extreme poverty , including indigenous or other historically discriminated groups, are often misunderstood as neglect leading society and authorities to condemn parents facing difficult choices. A mother may have to leave her children unsupervised while she works long hours so that she can feed her family. In other contexts, extreme poverty may force parents to entrust their children to orphanages or to work in domestic service. Hunger and deprivation may drive children onto the streets, making them easy targets for gangs, abuse or other forms of exploitation. Poverty is the collective failure of policies and practices that perpetuate discrimination and economic disadvantages of people furthest behind.

  Highlighting social and institutional maltreatment is not about apportioning blame, but about calling for a better understanding of poverty and evidence-based supportive action . Many hard-working and wellintentioned professionals find themselves having to conform with regulations that are counterproductive, and the interactions of people in poverty with institutions are often characterized by judgment, subjugation, compliance, and control. Particularly for welfare rights claimants, the web of surveillance mechanisms infringes on their privacy and human rights. In some countries, parents in poverty face intrusive and destabilizing investigations (home inspections, school visits) that exacerbate the challenges they face. These investigations sometimes lead to the unnecessary removal of children from their home, not due to physical abuse or parental wrongdoing, but because of financial hardship and deprivation. Family separation can have traumatic and life-long consequences if ...

  Despite the cascade of crises and multiple challenges before us, October 17th is about hope. By reaching out, putting the furthest behind first , fostering understanding and finding solutions together , we can end poverty in all its forms,everywhere.

  To Move forward in ensuring respect and effectivesupport , we must:  shape institutions that put people first — move away from a culture of distrust, intrusive surveillance and control towards one of trust, respect, and collaboration;  acknowledge the efforts that parents living in poverty already make and support them appropriately to provide a better future for themselves and their children;  transform child protection institutions into a system of support for the whole family, strengthening parents’ capacities to care for their own children and to lift themselves out of persistent poverty.