Fighting Poverty and Inequality – task of the health- and welfare worker? Poverty and Inequality in the EU and its Impact on the social worker Input by Quinta Ansem
Mar 31, 2015
Fighting Poverty and Inequality –task of the health- and welfare worker?
Poverty and Inequality in the EU and its Impact on the social worker
Input by Quinta Ansem
Content of the presentation
A quick story about EAPNBeing poor in the EUThe effect on People Experience PovertyEquality versus InequalityThe effect on health- and social workersSome questions to be answered
EAPN Origins
Established in 1990
A network of independent NGOs
Defending what?
EAPN Membership and Financing
26 National Networks
23 European Organisations
financial support?
What do we know about Poverty in the EU?
EU Poverty Programmes
Social OMC
Progress?
Poverty in the EU (2007)
60% of median equivalised income
EU Average 17% (79 million people)25% Romania (83 Euro) 10% Netherlands (910 Euro) 10 % Czech
Republic (271Euro)
In Work Poverty (2007)
In work poverty rate
EU Average 8% of working population (18 million people approx)
14% Greece (510 Euro) 3% Czech Republic (271 Euro)
Significant damp problems in housing
EU Average: 18%
37% Poland 5 % Malta and Finland
Lack of indoor flushing toilet for sole use of household
EU Average: 4% (18.5 million people)
44 % Romania, 34% Bulgaria, 1% EU 15 (the old members of EU) 3% Slovakia
Material Deprivation in the EU
Basic necessities EU Average 17%
45% in Latvia (Romania and Bulgaria higher) 3% in Luxembourg 6% Sweden and
Netherlands 40% below poverty line but ………………..
13% above the poverty line
People Experiencing Poverty (PEP)
‘I am undocumented, so for you I don’t exist’ ‘waking up in bad housing conditions which
saps the will to do anything’ ‘being paid regularly, but my debts still
mounting up anyway’ ‘hard to talk about, but when I did start to talk
to others I felt no different from them and I wasn’t embarrassed’
Social protection – a cost or an investment?
Social Spending reduces risk of poverty Increased expenditure on social protection
Conclusion
Effective Social protection systems not only reduce poverty, and increase security, but provide an essential platform for participation, and social cohesion as well as supporting growth.
Trends in Inequality USA
Innovation
Trust
Mental Health
Violence
http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/why/evidence/rich-and-poor-countries
Wealth and Inequality in the EU
EAPN Motto: ‘You can’t speak about the fight against poverty and remain silent about wealth’
Building Trust: The role of Democracy
More Equal Societies work better for Everyone The rich developed societies have reached a
turning point in human history Politics should now be about the quality of social
relations and how we can develop harmonious and sustainable societies
And doing that in respect and support with those who need the respect and support the most.
The impact of inequality on the health- and social workers
Good intentions Increasingly numbers of poormatching mental and physical health Work Overload Little effects low salaries
Area of tension
Most Welfare- or Health worker is paid out of public money
Policy changing's (political changes)Being subsidizesNo (or little) cooperation with local
government Only project findingNo (real) participation from the PEP
Question for the discussion
Can the health- and welfare worker really make a difference in fighting poverty and social exclusion?
Yes…. or No?Changes?And how can the PEP be involved in this
fight?
The basis thinking of EAPN Netherlands
Giving the oor an equal chance to participate in all kind of processes, is a vital part of fighting overty and social exclusion
Building Alliances for 2010