CPI Forum
Contribute to the conversation about poverty in Canada. To submit a guest blog, email povertyinstitute@ambrose.edu .
Institutional Mistreatment and the Right to Refuge
A Statement by the Canadian Poverty Institute on the 2024 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (October 17)
Today, October 17th, is the United Nations International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. This year, the focus is on social and institutional mistreatment of those experiencing poverty. The United Nations calls this “a widespread but often ignored aspect of poverty” adding that this “hidden violence, which includes stigma, discrimination, and the denial of basic human rights, causes deep harm to individuals and communities already struggling with poverty.”
The Canadian Poverty Institute shares this concern. In particular, we highlight the gross violations of human rights experienced by those who are homeless. In particular, we once more draw attention to the risk to life and security of the person posed by severe weather. As winter approaches we renew our call to municipal governments to enshrine a right to seek refuge in public spaces during severe cold or other dangerous weather.
Dignity for All in Practice: A Reflection on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
Dignity for All in Practice is the theme of the 2022 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. As stated by the United Nations “The dignity of the human being is not only a fundamental right in itself but constitutes the basis of all other fundamental rights.” Poverty compromises human dignity in multiple ways.