On World Day of the Poor, we should think about all those affected by poverty

World Day of the Poor is approaching, giving us time to think about those in poverty in our communities. In Aotearoa New Zealand, discussions about poverty almost always gravitate to discussions of child poverty. We have a Child Poverty Reduction Act, Minister for Child Poverty Reduction, and focused child poverty statistics.

It has actually become difficult to find current sources about other types of poverty in this country – when we googled “poverty New Zealand” for this article, of the top 20 search results, 15 were about child poverty (of the five others, three are from overseas and one is from 2011). 

Needless to say, child poverty is extremely important, and at Caritas much of our work goes towards helping children in need. However, it is important not to lose sight of all others that may be in poverty in our societies. Accurately representing vulnerable groups is vitally important. Although it is easy to focus on child poverty, we should not forget that human dignity is innate in everyone. 

Children are seen as blameless – and implicitly, adults are not. 

One reason that action on poverty has become so myopically focused on children is that they are seen as blameless, making it politically non-controversial to help them. The belief is that because children cannot control what household they are born into, they bear no responsibility for their poverty and are therefore most 'worthy' of help. The flipside of this argument is the idea that adults do bear responsibility for their own poverty, and so are 'undeserving' of help. This idea is fundamentally incorrect, and goes directly against Catholic social teaching. 

Firstly, the premise that adults are likely to be responsible for their own poverty is simply untrue. Living in poverty makes it much harder to access education, stay healthy, find liveable accommodation, find employment, and do all the things needed to improve one's living situation. Many adults in poverty today were born into poverty, so they may have never had a real opportunity to escape the cycle of poverty. Many people fall into poverty for other reasons, including physical and mental health issues, family crises, problems such as addiction, or even just a string of bad fortune. As Pope Francis writes, “Some people are born into economically stable families, receive a fine education, grow up well nourished, or naturally possess great talent. They will certainly not need a proactive state; they need only claim their freedom. Yet the same rule clearly does not apply to a disabled person, to someone born in dire poverty, to those lacking a good education and with little access to adequate health care.” (Fratelli Tutti, p. 109). 

Secondly, the idea of people in poverty being 'undeserving' of help contradicts Christian faith. Our Catholic social teaching principle of human dignity – te mana o te tangata reminds us that every human being, young or old, poor or rich, no matter what their circumstances, was created in God's image. There is a strong basis for this principle in scripture and in the writings of the Church. Given that "every person is worthy of our giving" and "reflects something of God's glory" (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium), it does not make sense to turn away from and ignore the poverty of any groups, regardless of their age. 

Building a better future through encounter 

We also have a Catholic social teaching principle of solidarity – whakawhanaungatanga, which teaches us to seek to better understand others and build connections with them. The benefits that can flow from this are immense – in Aotearoa New Zealand, people living in poverty often feel stigmatised, or ashamed to ask for help. When we can build closer connections to people in need, and reach out seeking to understand them, we have a better chance of being able to help them. However, this requires us to not ignore them, but rather to think about and listen to the stories of all groups affected by poverty. 

Another reason why we tend to focus on child poverty is that it is seen as having more long-term implications – if we can lift children out of poverty, we break the cycle and help eradicate poverty in the future. This reasoning is valid, but it is not a reason to neglect adults – after all, it is adults who go on to raise children. If people are struggling now, it does not make sense to stand by while their situation grows worse, only to step in once they have children trying to solve all their problems. 

If we want our next generation to escape poverty, we should be aiming for them to grow up in families and communities free of endemic poverty and hardship. It is increasingly clear in so many of our global problems, from Covid-19 to climate change, that humans live interconnected lives, and cannot truly thrive while others in our society suffer. This year, World Day of the Poor gives an opportunity to pray for, learn about, and better understand all people in Aotearoa New Zealand touched by poverty. 

Cover image credit: THOMAS MUKOYA | Credit: REUTERS