What is EAPN?

1. Child Poverty in EuropeProblems and opportunities,visions and recommendationsMichaela Moser Octobre 2010www.eapn.eu

2. What is EAPN? • A network of anti-poverty networks in 26 EU member states and in Norway plus many European Organisations EAPN’s objectives are: • To keep the fight against poverty and social exclusion on the EU Agenda • To increase the effectiveness of anti-poverty strategies • To strenghten the focus on a right’s based approach • To fight for and with people experiencing poverty to make a social Europe a reality for all • To ensure better participation of people experiencing poverty in decision making processes

3. Poor children don‘t grow on trees! « Arme Kinder fallen nicht vom Himmel »

4. Polite words stay meaningless if real changes aremissing How can Europe be a ‚success story‘ if there are still so many inequalities? Jobs seem to count morethan people We don‘t want to have to repeat our stories agian and again and again... Public opinion is often verynegative. Being accused to be just too lazy to work is very humiliating Many of us have no proper housing and cannt afford to pay for heating.And there are also loads of problemswith regards to a Minimum Income. Migrants are often excluded from access to social services There’s still so much to do!

5. 79 Mio people are living below the poverty line (60% of the median income)among them are 19 Mio children • 1 out of 5 = 19 Mio children in the EU (=19%)are living in an household with an income below the poverty line (in Poland and Lativa 1 of 3 children)the at-risk-of-poverty rate for children is above the average (EU 16%) Amonge the most vulnerable are: • Children in Single-Parents-Households(34%) • Children in Households with many children (exceptions: Sweden and D) • Children in Households of migrants or with minority ethnic background (more than 50% of the children of migrants are living below the line in Sweden, Finland, Lux, NL) Source and further information: www.eurochild.eu

6. Doris SalcedoShibbolethTate Modern, 2007 Growing inequalities ...

7. ... and their negative effects on: www.equalitytrust.org.uk • Life expectancy • Math & Literacy • Infant mortality • Homicides • Imprisonment • Teenage births • Trust • Obesity • Mental illness – incl. drug & alcohol addiction • Social mobility Source: Wilkinson & Pickett, The Spirit Level (2009)

8. Social polarization in figures Austria: INCOME: Lowest 20% earn 2% of all income Top 20% earn almost 50% of all income Growing gender gap: 1995: -35,8%; 2006: - 27,6% WEALTH: Top 10% hold 54% of private monetary wealth Top 1 Permille holds as much as the lower 50% Global situation: 5% Poorest lost 25% of their real income 5% Richest gained 12% 2,7 billion poor people have to share as much income as the 50.000 wealthiest people. Political meassures often increase social polarization! Sources:Sozialbericht d BMASK,, Handbuch Armut in Österreich, Branko Milanovic, OECD-Studie

9. Poor children don’t grow on trees!EU-Action on child poverty and well-being is needed! • Focus on individuals AND their environment • Focus on children AND parents • Universal AND specific meassures • Investment in high quality social infrastrusture: • Child care • Education • Social housing • Health Care • Public Transport • Counselling and support

10. Poor children don’t grow on trees!EU-Action on child poverty and well-being is needed! 2 • A more just distribution of work AND income Adequate WagesAdequate minimum incomeA more just tax system Innovative labour market policies Meassures for better gender equality Better distribution of different forms of work • Guaranteeing (children’s) rights

11. Poor children don’t grow on trees!EU-Action on child poverty and well-being is needed! • Concrete poverty reduction objectives • Monitoring processes • Focus on participation innovative projects / participative democracy anti-discrimination meassures valuing children’d potential

12. The Europe we want!Key messages of EAPN • Social Progress is possible - even in a time of crisis • We need to stop stereotypes and discrimination and guarantee people’s rights • Better and more participative forms of democracy need to be developed. • We need to ensure a fairer distribution of wealth • Local and global action has to go hand in hand. The fight against poverty, social exclusion and inequalities is a fight for global justice.

13. Closing the gap(s): Ensuring a good life for all! Ein gutes Leben für alle! • Stärkung und Umsetzung von Alternativen zu einem ‘Growth-and-Jobs-Europe’ • Nutzung und Ausbau der vorhandenen Instrumentarien (Social Inclusion Strategy, OMK) - ’Strohhalmpolitik’ • Stärkung der Vernetzungen - breitere Allianzen • Initiativen für eine Re-Demokratisierung • Nachdruck auf eine Politik der Umverteilung • Ein gutes Leben für alle! Für ein soziales Europa in einer sozialen Welt Life: Living one‘s life (not that of another) - Bodily Health: adequate nourishment and shelter... - Bodily Integrity: freedom of movement, opportunities of sexual satisfaction, reproductive choices - Senses, Imagination and Thought - Emotions: attachments to things and people, love, care, grieve, longing, gratitutde, anger ... Practical reason: forming a concpetion of the good, engaging in critical relfection about one‘s life - Affiliation: social interaction, self-respect, nonhumiliation, dignity, nondiscrimination - Living with other species - Play - Laughter - Control over one‘s environment: Political participation, property rights, meaningful work ...

14. An EU - and a world! - free of poverty is possible! ? www.eapn.eu