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Almost 350,000 people fit into the 10% of Uruguay’s population that is trapped below the poverty line. They live mainly in the northern departments of the country and also in the south, on the outskirts of Montevideo, the capital. According to a UN report, 44% of these people are children and adolescents. This data generates alarm, but not surprise, since the National Institute of Statistics (INE) has reflected it, with slight variations, over the course of the last decade. Winning the fight against that 10% of poverty with such a marked infantile nature is an ethical mandate, at least that is what we hear these days of the electoral campaign in Uruguay. Although, taking into account the country’s very low birth rate, it seems a matter of common sense. Analysts do the math and risk that it is possible to correct it. It is not so much so for those who, with more or less economic prosperity or State intervention, continue to be affected by that percentage reiterated by the figures recently presented by the INE.
In the Nueva Esperanza settlement, there are plenty of reasons not to believe in big changes. Located west of Montevideo, it was created in 2015 by five families, to which others were added until reaching the 45 that are counted today, explains Luis Acosta, community leader of the place. “We don’t have a permanent job, we do pruning and cleaning of land, we recycle garbage,” he tells América Futura.
With few exceptions, the majority of its 200 inhabitants – among them, 100 children – spend the windy and humid Montevideo winters among old zinc, wood and nylon sheets, without windows, under roofs that withstand storms with only the weight of stones. and tires. But more than the cold, in Nueva Esperanza they fear the rain. When it falls, the water sneaks into the homes, overflows the cesspools and turns the access road to the neighborhood into a quagmire through which it is almost impossible to navigate. “There are many things left to continue doing,” adds Acosta, who during the talk highlights the solidarity of the neighbors. Together they maintain a popular soup kitchen, he says, as well as a picnic area, which operate in the community center.
In Uruguay there are some 607 irregular settlements in which around 165,000 people live, according to available official data. From the current Government, a center-right coalition, only 21 of them have been completely intervened in four years of administration, through their regularization or the relocation of families, among other actions, as reported in February by the local newspaper The country. The material conditions of these settlements are diverse, as are the stories of those who inhabit them.
“Within the poverty category, what is there? It’s not just the consumption capacity [de una canasta básica], which is what the INE line marks. “What situations are we experiencing?” asks sociologist Verónica Filardo in conversation with América Futura. Filardo is co-author of Behind the poverty line, an investigation carried out in the popular neighborhoods of Montevideo that describes the life of its inhabitants and their relationship with the social policies implemented between 2005 and 2019, during the governments of the Frente Amplio (center-left). In that period, there was a marked decrease in poverty, Filardo observes, but the presence of the State did not translate into a significant reduction of people in settlements. “No matter how many improvements there have been, even in the material conditions of many, they are still in the same place,” he points out.
Between 2004 and 2014, Uruguay managed to reduce poverty from 40% to 9%, according to income measurement made by the INE. “Although it continued to decline very slightly between 2014 and 2017, stagnation has been observed since the middle of the last decade,” says Gustavo De Armas, United Nations Strategic Planning advisor in Uruguay. Since 2014, with slight variations, poverty remains at a plateau of 10%. Why couldn’t this hard core, as this expert calls it, be brought down?
Part of the answer, explains De Armas, lies in the sociodemographic characteristics of that population: 44% of the 350,000 poor people are children and adolescents, who do not generate income. Likewise, measurements show that almost 70% of the 90,000 poor households are headed by women. “The data allow us to notice, in addition to infantilization, the feminization of poverty in Uruguay,” she emphasizes. These women dedicate an average of 43 hours per week to unpaid work, according to a report prepared by De Armas, which involves taking care of your children, cooking, cleaning, and also taking care of other adults. In addition to solving how to cover the basic needs of the home.
![Alfredo Méndez writes during a school support activity.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/U75A7AEMOBAFHHQKBOKYFVV4YQ.jpg?auth=ec47ca05e773edec4dcf76756ae4396b870d3ce7adee2fbdbcd3f3a4620384d8&width=414)
“We all have children in charge, older adults in charge, people with disabilities in charge…,” says Carina Zeballos, leader of the National Coordinator of Settlements, during a visit to the Nueva Esperanza neighborhood. In 2018, Zeballos proposed launching this group that had been created in the 90s and is made up of 80 women from 60 settlements in eight departments of Uruguay, to share difficulties and find ways to move forward.
They try to meet virtually once a week, although it is difficult for everyone to participate. As Zeballos tells América Futura, they often have to deal with the fact that the house is flooded with fecal matter, that a child appears bitten by a rat, that the mattresses have been ruined by the rain… “The helplessness is tremendous.” , he assures. From the Coordinator they advocate for the creation of a Universal and Unconditional Basic Income, which allows them to guarantee the basic rights of their families and dedicate part of their time to their training. “We have a very low educational level,” adds Zeballos in reference to the women in this group. This is a common denominator in the poorest homes.
For now, analysts agree that the Uruguayan State would have to increase the amount of GDP it allocates to monetary transfers that reach the poorest households and represent, on average, 20% of the expenses of these vulnerable families. “Uruguay can reverse this situation,” says economist Mauricio De Rosa. That would imply, according to his estimates, increasing the budget by approximately 500 million dollars annually to expand the coverage of specific public policies. “What happens if we don’t do it? The social cost is very high. They are intelligent investments, as well as fair,” says De Rosa.
For the economist, this would be feasible through tax modifications that aim at greater progressivity of the system. De Rosa recalls that Uruguay is the country with the lowest poverty and inequality rates in Latin America, but it does not fare well when compared to the countries it comprises. the high income group, of which it is part: “In Uruguay, the 1% with the highest incomes have the same monthly income as the poorest 50% combined.” In this context, he remarks: “Due to its democratic quality, the country deserves a more serious debate on the tax issue in the electoral campaign.”
![Teacher Carmen Altez teaches school regularization activities with residents of Nueva Esperanza.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/EF46LSUB4FH5VBUMFYM3AOO45Q.jpg?auth=0ed629415a23e0285117a2b12cd02a76466bd80b026b85c600d150858ef7479d&width=414)
Natalia Rovira
A more powerful care system
In addition to agreeing on the need to economically reinforce the social programs that are currently being implemented, such as the Equity Plan, the Uruguay Social Card or the Bono Crianza, the UN advisor in Uruguay, De Armas, maintains that the country requires a system of more powerful care. “Universal coverage levels are needed in the population between zero, two and three years of age, which contributes to child development and has a positive impact on women’s participation in the labor market,” he says.
On the other hand, he continues, there must be a strong educational component of training for the labor market aimed at adults in the poorest households, but particularly those with women in charge. “It does not seem like an unattainable goal,” says De Armas, taking into account that Uruguay is one of the countries in the region with the oldest and most robust welfare state. If implemented, these measures would imply reduce income povertybut not surpass it in all its dimensions, which includes decent housing, access to basic services such as sanitation, electricity and drinking water, among others.
“The circumstances are collective, they are not individual,” reflects sociologist Filardo, regarding the focus that social policies have maintained during successive governments. These have pointed to the responsibility of the individual rather than that of the group: “I gave you the training, now I got you the job,” she exemplifies.
The development of projects that involve the community could favor change, Filardo observes, because the achievements would be the neighborhood’s and not just the individual’s. “Regardless of the efforts that are being made, there are no signs of improvement and this is getting worse, because new precariousness is added as a result of drug trafficking, which has entered these neighborhoods, and the new relationships it generates,” warns the sociologist. . Given this panorama and with its sights set on the October elections, society hopes that its main political leaders will risk viable proposals to address two of the most pressing problems that Uruguay has: child poverty and security.
![A child waits outside the facilities where classes are held, in April 2024.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/YOO44ZQOZZHKRPQNWRQPZFZ5TE.jpg?auth=92b6683a7d9af9589069a89f713873da2201ec1a5843dccf66a43f31e8875126&width=414)
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