New report questions Meloni’s narrative on fighting poverty

3 months ago 16

Nearly one in ten of Italian youth live in poverty with 60% believing a job will do little to lift them out of it according to a new report that starkly contrasts with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s remarks that her party has reduced the risk of poverty.

Almost a tenth – 9.4% – of young people aged 15 to 16 in Italy live in poverty, while more than one in four believe they will not finish school, according to findings from Save the Children’s Tomorrow (Im)possible report.

The report highlights that 17.9% of teenagers say their parents struggle to cover expenses for food, clothing, and bills, while 11.6% admit they cannot afford new shoes even when needed.

Almost one in four (23.9%) start the school year without all the necessary books and materials, and 24% have difficulty going on school trips because of financial constraints.

In addition, 43.7% of 15- to 16-year-olds surveyed help their families manage expenses by saving money and avoiding unnecessary costs, with 18.6% of them doing some form of work.

Economic poverty heavily impacts youth’s life expectations, with 67.4% fearing that even with employment, they will not have sufficient financial resources.

Reducing the risk of poverty is a key platform for the European elections campaign of far-right Fratelli d’Italia, the party led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

However, opposition parties have criticised Meloni for the rising number of impoverished individuals in 2023.

“Absolute poverty data is worsening,” stated the Democratic Party, while Giuseppe Conte, president of the Five Star Movement, said that ”under Meloni’s government, we have seen record numbers of absolute poverty: 5.7 million in Italy in 2023”.

Two weeks ago, the Italian Institute of Statistics, ISTAT’s latest annual report, confirmed that absolute poverty indicators in Italy have reached levels not seen in the past decade.

In May, also an analysis by the European Commission concluded that Meloni’s inclusion allowance would increase both absolute and child poverty, a report the Italian government deemed ‘partial’.

(Alessia Peretti | Euractiv.it)