The Combat Poverty Agency today said Ireland has one of the highest child poverty rates in Europeand recommended "a rights-based approach" to tackling the problem at a Dublin conference.
The "National Conference on Narrowing the Gap Between Rich and Poor" heard that according to most recent data (1998) up to 20 per cent of the population live in households earning below half average income (equivalent to £126 per adult per week in 2001).
Mr Hugh Frazer, in his last engagement as the agency's director, said it was time to face the fact that living in poverty compromises basic human dignity.
He urged the Government's current review of the National Anti-Poverty Strategy to frame its policies and actions to take account of economic and social rights.
"Poverty and social exclusion represent a fundamental denial of humandignity," he said. "Economic and social rights - which include theright to health, the right to an adequate standard of living, theright to housing, the right work and the right to a sustainableenvironment - are essential to uphold human dignity."
Mr Frazer highlighted what he said were obligations under the International Covenant onEconomic, Social and Cultural Rights of which Ireland is asignatory.
"In 1999 the United Nations Committee on Economic, Socialand Cultural Rights observed Ireland's National Anti-PovertyStrategy `does not adopt a human rights frameworkconsistent with the provisions of the Covenant'.
"The Government's current review of the National Anti-PovertyStrategy is an extremely important opportunity to meet theseinternational obligations and to take on the responsibility tostrengthen society's commitment to fight poverty throughincorporating economic and social rights," he said.
The CPA stated a Government programme including targets in relation to poverty, income, unemployment, health, housing and education would be a positive step towards a rights-based approach in a national anti-poverty plan.
Their recommendations include the following targets:
- eliminate child poverty;
- significantly reduce income poverty and income inequality;
- eliminate long-term unemployment;
- significantly reduce the percentage of poor households headed byan unemployed person;
- ensure access to adequate, accessible and appropriate healthcare for all when and where needed regardless of ability to pay;
- ensure access to quality early education for children beforeentering primary school;
- increase the standard of literacy and numeracy among school-going children beginning from early primary education;
- eliminate illiteracy and numeracy difficulties in Irish adults.
Mr Frazer has been seconded to the European Commission for a periodof up to three years as a national expert.He will take up hisnew role on June 1st.
