This year, on the occasion of the World Day to Overcome Extreme Poverty in Dublin, many testimonies of people living in poverty were heard. As always, the Dublin event was held at the Human Rights and Poverty Stone. The Irish theme for this year’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is “Respecting the Dignity of all Humanity: End Persistent Poverty”. Those who are struggling daily in extreme poverty must always remain the core focus of this day. It is those who are most often made to feel as though they are living without dignity.
Joseph Wresinski’s message transcribed on the Human Rights and Poverty Stone was read out in Irish by Brian O Toole, in English by Dympna Mallon & French by Hilary Bizumuremyi.
People took time to listen to the testimonies based on lived experiences of poverty and injustice. This year we heard about the poor housing and health outcomes faced by the Travelling community, the struggles faced by migrants living undocumented in Ireland and the poor living conditions experienced by those in direct provision. We also heard about the discrimination experienced by young care leavers, the lifelong impacts addiction can have on a person and their family as well as the value of local community services.