President George Abela this morning urged the country to focus its efforts against poverty.
"Let’s stop talking about the risk of poverty and focus on people who are actually living in poverty and material deprivation today," Dr Abela said. “We have to focus on people who are living in poverty. We need empirical tools to establish in a scientific manner the number of people who are living in poverty and where they are living. We urgently require indicators of the people who are not living a decent life,” President Abela said.
Speaking during the launching of this year’s edition of Tisjir mill-Qalb, a cookery book whose sale raises funds for the Community Chest Fund, Dr Abela said it was his specific intention to use the launch of a recipe book to highlight the lack of food that many individuals and families were experiencing on a daily basis.
He proposed that a study on poverty published by Caritas a few months ago could be updated and used as a model to kick start fresh efforts to tackle poverty.
Dr Abela said many people were unaware that poverty existed, yet many people were finding it hard to make ends meet in terms of current standards.
The Malta Community Chest Fund itself had come across hundreds of people pleading for help, he said.
“We often hear that 15 per cent of the population, or 60,000 people, live in the risk of poverty with an income that is 60% of the national median equivalised disposable income (after social transfers). We also hear that children are the most at risk of poverty. According to statistics published by Eurostat, 22 per cent of the population was in the risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2011, equivalent to 88,000 people. This was expected to increase to 92,000 people in 2012,” Dr Abela observed.
“I welcome the strategy against poverty and social exclusion that is being launched by the government. The strategy shows a serious commitment towards children that are in the risk of poverty and whose destiny has already pre-determined as a consequence. It is also positive to note that the strategy is looking at poverty in a wider and holistic context that includes social housing, health and social services. The State is ultimately responsible to guarantee that everyone lives in dignity,” Dr Abela added.
“There are areas where poverty is more prevalent than other areas, especially in the south. There is a concentration of clusters where material deprivation is rampant and government should focus on these areas and ensure they form part of our social policy. My recommendation is also to invest in the regeneration of these areas and emphasise on education with the ultimate aim that these communities live a better quality of life.”