ATD Fourth World People's University
Last Updated: 28 February 2019
by Vera NYGARD
The Salvation Army EU Affairs office attended the ATD Fourth World People’s University on February 6. The event creates a platform for citizens living in poverty in nine European countries to meet with the European Parliament for a dialogue on poverty policy. Since 1989, ATD Fourth World has partnered, most often with the European Economic and Social Committee, to organize the European Fourth World People’s University every two years.
In various countries in Europe, the Fourth World People’s University allows those who experience deep poverty and exclusion to become active partners in building society. These meetings, which include people from other social backgrounds, provide a forum for those who live in poverty to bring their insights and knowledge to bear on the particular topics addressed in each session.
Considerations for the Salvation Army:
- TSA should be aware of the stigma that poverty creates and find ways to include people in poverty in social activities, especially children.
- Undocumented migrants often lack knowledge when it comes to their legal rights. TSA can find avenues to bring awareness and offer translation when needed.
- TSA can offer assistance to Roma who lack administrative documents by contacting their embassies.
Delegates from the Fourth World People’s University in nine countries (Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, and Romania) addressed three topics: Indicators of poverty and social exclusion in Europe, The impact that various national and European policies have on family life for citizens in poverty, and Legal Status as a Person. The delegates in each participating country discussed these themes in the morning session with the people they represented and developed proposals to present at the meeting itself.
The plenary session was facilitated by Elena Flores from the European Commission (DG ECFIN) and Pierre Saglio, President of ATD 4th World. Flores explained that the specific themes of the event were chosen because they were identified by the people working on these issues. Silvia Costa MEP, highlighted that inequalities are on the rise in Europe in terms of education, relations, etc. We need stronger cooperation between different actors in society. We need a more social Europe and a common standard of welfare, built on de facto poverty. More recognition should be given to the rights of the poor. Pierre Saglio expressed that we want all children to live in safety and all European’s rights to be respected. We see today that this is not the case.
Each group in the morning sessions presented the results of their discussion. The housing situation of the poorest was discussed by the first group and it was clear from their report that it’s difficult for the poorest to find decent housing. It is quite common for the families to not have enough space and for the house to not be well kept by the owner. Poverty is more than lack of financial means, and the stigma of living in social housing can have a very negative effect in terms of reactions from society. Children are especially affected by this. A proposal was made for the EU and national authorities, to investigate the reasons for the housing crisis and make sure to provide housing for the poorest families. Owners should be obliged to improve apartments and houses that are in poor condition.
The second group presented their results, and expressed that there are crucial limitations when it comes to getting families out of poverty. For instance, having savings when you receive social benefits is not allowed. Families are considered a group where governments can save money, as all income is counted towards the same beneficiary. If a child starts working, their salary is counted towards the parents and thus the family benefits are reduced. Getting out of poverty once you’re in it is very difficult. A proposal was made to provide individual support instead of family support and also make it possible to accumulate savings.
In the discussion about indicators of poverty and social exclusion, the group stated that indicators that are used to measure poverty are very poor. They need to be changed so they give a better picture of what poverty is really about. Using qualitative material is becoming more and more possible and should be utilised. People in poverty should participate more directly in the measurements.
The situation of undocumented migrants emerged when discussing legal status of persons. A recognised legal status is not a given. Undocumented migrants often have no access to work and social benefits. The right to be recognised as a human being not always a given, which becomes evident in regards to stateless people. Over 0,5 million people in the EU remain stateless today, often referred to as “Europe’s ghosts”. They are unable to open a bank account or get married. The root problem for Roma is also often statelessness.
A significant issue is that authorities might take advantage of people not being aware of their legal rights. Practical procedures, such a registration, is not a given even for EU citizens if they are homeless and thus have no address to refer to. Proposals were made in regards to these procedures: obtaining an ID card should be free of charge. Children should be able to access ID cards regardless of their parent’s status.
Tags: Europe