Swiss charity Caritas calls for renewed fight against poverty

Caritas calls for a better fight against poverty in Switzerland Keystone-SDA

The Swiss charity Caritas is calling on politicians to do more to combat poverty.

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To mark the 125th anniversary of Caritas Switzerland, a symposium shed light on poverty in this country and sought solutions for a fairer society – a Switzerland without poverty.

Austerity measures and socio-political trench warfare dominate today at the expense of the poor, according to the annual socio-political conference of Caritas Switzerland. The number of people in precarious financial circumstances has been increasing for years, the conference heard.

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The poverty line is based on a very low subsistence level, which does not guarantee social participation. Families are increasingly being pushed to the limit by rising housing costs and health insurance premiums, and many children are affected by poverty.

“And despite all of this, a consistent poverty policy is still a shadowy existence in Switzerland – the current state of poverty policy is untenable,” said Caritas.

Poverty symposium

Government minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider and the President of the Valais State Council Mathias Reynard, President of the Conference of Cantonal Directors of Social Affairs (SODK), also took part in the symposium in Bern on the topic of “Poverty here and now: where does social Switzerland stand?”.

In her speech, Baume-Schneider emphasised that poverty has many causes. She spoke about healthcare costs, the rise in which is directly felt by the population. “But we can curb the growth,” she said.

Some CHF2 million in annual federal savings has been achieved. In addition, since this year all cantons have been obliged to provide a minimum contribution for premium reductions.

Debt also often plays a decisive role when people become impoverished. The current revision of the law on debt collection and bankruptcy is intended to improve the situation of those in debt.

Although the state bears responsibility for social security, a strong civil society with committed organisations such as Caritas is an indispensable partner, Baume-Schneider continued. After all, poverty not only jeopardises individual lives, but also social cohesion.

For peace and solidarity

Caritas Switzerland has been campaigning for decades for a consistent fight against poverty, in projects and by influencing politics. According to the aid organisation, many recipes for reducing poverty have been discussed for a long time, but they are “not implemented or only half-heartedly”.

Caritas’ vision is a world characterised by solidarity, justice and peace, it says. In this world, all people would find fair living conditions and be able to fulfil their potential in a self-determined way.

To mark its 125th anniversary, the aid organisation has published a social almanac. The Caritas yearbook focuses on different perspectives on poverty in Switzerland. It features contributions from people active in politics, research and civil society.

Translated from German by AI/mga

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