Poverty and inequality: young people want a change of direction
On this International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, we wish to highlight the commitment of younger generations to the fight against poverty and inequality. Young people in our countries are bearing the brunt of new forms of insecurity, adding to those that we already know exist. These may be less visible and less understandable to some of us, but they are very real.
Access to housing and employment is becoming increasingly difficult, leading to precariousness and forced displacement. Tuition fees are sky-high amid the growing privatisation of the education sector. Access to quality, affordable food is hampered by an unfair economic and agricultural system. Freedom of expression is being restricted. There is growing anxiety and disillusionment with the political classes’ ability to respond to social and environmental issues. Whether it’s GenZ 212 in Morocco, the uprisings against corruption in Nepal and Madagascar, or regular demonstrations for climate justice, protests initiated by young people are on the increase and converge around the same message: no more injustice!
In the face of decades of underfunding and neglect of essential public services and everything that guarantees access to fundamental rights, these young people are demanding dignified living conditions, decent jobs and access to high-quality public and health services.
In the face of the normalisation of poverty, which many figures in politics, economics and the media present as inevitable, younger generations are pointing the finger at those truly responsible and their decisions, which favour the interests of a small minority.
In the face of militaristic policies that are destructive to human beings and living things, they are demonstrating renewed courage and creativity to call out what is unacceptable and to sketch the outlines of a fairer, more sustainable world.
The Emmaus Movement must listen to and support these young people who are standing up for themselves. We fight against poverty and its causes, not against the forms of expression used by those who suffer from it. Without the young people of yesterday, our Movement would never have seen the light of day, and without the young people of today, there will be no future. The new generations protesting today are continuing the struggles that the Movement has fought since its creation. The future of our Movement depends on passing on our values, but also on our ability to let young people reinterpret them in the light of today’s challenges.
On 17 October, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, let us make our voices heard and take action against the injustice of poverty!
