The theme for the 2024 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is “Ending Social and Institutional Maltreatment: Acting together for just, peaceful and inclusive societies.”
This theme highlights the vital need to tackle the injustices faced by people living in poverty—many also experience not just financial hardship but also exclusion from public services.
For us at the APLE Collective, this theme strikes a powerful chord. It captures the challenges faced by those who have been marginalised by systems that should support them but often fall short. The emphasis on “acting together” underlines the strength of collective action and the importance of including the voices of those directly affected by poverty in discussions about how to end it.
An example of social maltreatment of people experiencing poverty may include the stigma, discrimination and exclusion that people face every day. Whether it’s the negative stereotypes in the media, or the biases in daily interactions, those living in poverty are often treated as less than, which only deepens their marginalisation.
Institutional maltreatment may occur when institutions such as the welfare system, healthcare, education or housing fail to provide adequate support or even actively harm the people they are supposed to help.
What Does This Mean for the APLE Collective?
We stand together shoulder to shoulder in solidarity to address marginalisation.
At the APLE Collective, we understand that ending poverty requires more than just economic solutions. It demands dismantling the barriers that keep people trapped in poverty. Our work is driven by the belief that those with lived experience of poverty are experts and must be at the heart of any efforts to address these injustices.
A few of our APLE Collective member organisations wanted to comment.
ATD Fourth World UK: “People who live in poverty deserve to live a decent life without judgement. We have a right to live as a family unit without being separated due to poverty.”
RAPAR: “People seeking asylum are not thought of as living in poverty, but people are living in hotels and living on just £8 per week. People with disabilities are particularly vulnerable when seeking asylum, and people who are claiming asylum should be allowed to work whilst awaiting asylum decisions.”
Chris Burns: “The new government talk about having to make tough decisions, well having a disability is tough. Being in a wheelchair and having to be carried away from a war zone is tough. Those with a disability know all about tough decisions. Being excluded is tough, being left out from love is awful. So, let’s make sure the tough decisions are the right ones. The easy decision is to do nothing and allow poverty to ruin more lives.”
Expert Citizens: “We want to highlight the unnecessary deaths of old people due to not being able to afford heating due to the change in government policy around the Winter Fuel Allowance.”
Thrive Teesside: “Thrive work tirelessly alongside our communities who live in very difficult and precarious financial situations. It is evident that there is an acute need to build trust with our new government and ensure political legitimacy. We fully support the need to implement the socio-economic duty and advocate the need to adopt transparent and effective measures to address the inequalities that result from differences in occupation, education, place of residence or social class.
People who live in poverty and bear the brunt of socio-economic disadvantage want to be part of the development of solutions. They have a wealth of expertise: they are experts, add context to any given situation and will prove to be a valuable ally that is needed within policymaking processes.”
The theme of “acting together” is a reminder that we must all work together—across communities, organisations, and sectors—to end poverty and create a more just society. The APLE Collective is committed to building alliances and working collaboratively to achieve this goal.
This International Day for the Eradication of Poverty let’s commit to ending social and institutional maltreatment and work together to build just, peaceful, and inclusive societies. The APLE Collective is proud to be part of this movement, and we invite you to join us in making real change for those living in poverty.
This day provides an opportunity for us all to say what needs to change to enable our communities to thrive. Our #LightUpTheUKMap campaign aims to showcase the incredible efforts being made to tackle poverty throughout the UK to commemorate IDEP, on an interactive map displayed on our website.
Whether you are hosting an event in your local community, holding a minute silence for lives lost or supporting the International Day to End Poverty on your social media accounts, we’d love to showcase the work you are doing to address poverty as part of our “Light Up the UK Map” campaign.
Here’s how you can get involved:
- Tweet us @APLECollective on October 17th and let us know how you address poverty with lived experience and use the hashtags #IDEP2024 #LightUpTheUKMap.
- Let us know if you are hosting or attending an event related to addressing poverty on or around October 17th, whether it’s an online zoom meeting or a coffee morning!