the greek experience and the impact on child poverty

CARITAS ATHENS - REFUGEE PROGRAMME

Kapodistriou 52, 10432 Athens Tel: 0030-210 5246637/5249564

E-mail: [email protected] Fax: 0030-210 5246646

The Greek Experience and

the Impact on Child

Poverty

Athens, June 2012

mailto:[email protected]




STARTED IN 2009 officially, although it was announced that recession

started in 2008

Two different governments, first the socialist PASOK and then a coalition

government presided by the banker and technocrat Loukas Papadimos

have designed:

austerity programmes,

two different bailouts,

and the renegotiating of the Greek debt with the EU and IMF

but the Greek population, and specially those living in poverty are now

suffering and most importantly…

The Greek Crisis

Children are the first victims.

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Greece is a country were most people worked for the State.

The GREEK STATE:

is too big,

spends too much

does not control its expenses properly.

To sum it up: It is inefficient.

For the past 30 years, there has been severe misuse of State funds as

well as corruption and scandals that have not been exposed or

stopped.

So far, none of the ruling parties have managed to implement structural

reforms, a fair and efficient tax system and a fair, efficient and

effective social services programme

Why? The causes of this crisis

The government is too inefficient.

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The government took the easiest measures since 2010:

cuts on State salaries and pensions, which affected the whole of the

population

cuts on social spending, specially for disabled persons, the elderly, small

children

cuts on all additional protection to families with many children,

handicapped children etc.

How did the government react?

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All Greek families with income coming from salaries or pensions

HAVE LOST up to 40 per cent of their family income

compared to their 2009 incomes

UNEMPLOMENT has reached in March 2012 21,9% of the workforce ( it

was 15,9% in March 2011) -this represents 1,100.000 people-

UNEMPLOYMENT IS HIGHER FOR WOMEN,

reaching 52,8% FOR YOUNG PEOPLE FROM 15 to 24 years of age

What was the result?

Instead of kick-starting the economy, they halted it

to an almost complete stop.

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Basic inter-professional salary is now 583,- euros per month before tax

from 751 euros until last year and for young under 25 years, it is 32%

lower

collective agreements no longer apply by trade, but by companies

1 out of 3 workers in the private sector is not paid on time, has had his

working hours cut or does not have full health and pension insurance

many companies have to cut down on salaries or benefits and workers

have to accept

These measures quickly proved to be some of the worst measures in a

country that is in a deep recession.

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Around 27.7% of the population in Greece were at risk of reaching

poverty levels or social exclusion. That is 3,031,000 people in the

year 2010.

The first bailout (EU and FMI: 111.000 million euros) was

agreed on May 2, 2010 and cuts and reforms started from them

onwards.


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Child poverty rate is estimated at 23%

The population of children in Greece has decreased:

From 23 % of the overall population in 1961 to 19% in 2001 and finally

17,4% in 2011.

There are more single parent households and they are more heavily

affected by poverty

According to the Assistant Advocate on children´s rights from the Greek

Ombudsman…


Underage working children in Greece are over 100.000

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The official data available is until the end of 2010.

We at Caritas think that many more families are now facing poverty in

2012.

The State has very little social protection and many families who used

to have a double income now have either one or none.

Many state or local authorities kindergardens have closed down.

More women are unemployed than men and employment benefits last

12 months maximum


Therefore more families and children are living in poverty.

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The situation is even worse if there is a handicapped child needing

special assistance:

only 1 out of 10 attend school

there are very little subsidies and most have been cut or have decreased

new taxation does not take into account special care for children who

need it

some State organizations and schools taking care of children with

special needs are about to close.

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There is both myth and reality about malnutrition and abandonment of

children in Greece

Malnutrition: Since 2011 there have been cases of children fainting at

school and teachers finding out that they have had no dinner or

breakfast, or have a main meal only once a day

the Ministry of Education has now a new programme of School lunchs for

2.500 children in Greece. Most of them are in schools located in

deprived parts of Athens and Tessalonica.

Unicef data (2010) show that :

21,6% of children have little meat, fish, chicken or vegetables

37,1% have no proper heating at home

27,8% live with damp walls

there is no data on malnutrition for babies and children under school

age.

A country of myths and reality

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Apart from the Ministry of Education, both local authorities, the Orthodox

and Catholic Church and many NGOs help distributing food to families

in need.

The Orthodox Church gives more than 100.000 meals a day in the whole

of Greece and send 3.000 foodbags a month to those in need.

The Catholic Church gives more than 600 meals a day in Athens at the

Refugee Centre of Caritas Athens and the Sisters of Mother Teresa of

Calcutta.

Churches and NGO assistance

Over 20.000 meals are provided daily in Athens by Churches and NGOs.

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Abandonment

There is little data on abandonment and many tragic stories in the press.

All Philantropic or State institutions that can accept abandoned children

have stressed:

That most cases are now related to modern poverty and not only to

abusive parents, drug or alcohol related problems.

There is a constant effort to keep the family together and help the whole

family.

The Greek Ombudsman recently informed in Parliament that:

at the moment there are around 2.500 children aged 0-18 in Greek

institutions, both of the public and the private sector.

Children in public institutions are estimated around 1.000 while other

institutions have around 1.500 children.

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The figures of children in private non profit institutions or homes is an

estimate, and possibly not accurate, as there are no official public

figures / reports about them.

A research published in 2010 showed that the average stay of children

in institutions in Greece is nearly 7 years which is extremely long,

considering international standards.

Foster care in Greece is very poor (less than 100 children are put into

foster care every year).

It is important also to note that a lot of families apply for help to private

institutions nowadays, due to serious financial restrictions, along with

other problems they are faced with, such as domestic violence,

alcohol addiction, separations

etc.

Foster care

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The Greek Ombudsman in charge of children's right has also stated in

Parliament that:

child poverty needs to be faced in many different ways, taking in

consideration the present recession and state cuts;

despite the reduction of available funds for welfare policies local social

services should be strengthened, to support families in crises, in order to

cope with their difficulties;

foster care should be more widely implemented;

schools should develop systems of multiple support for vulnerable

children;

non profit organisations should be facilitated and tax relieved in order to

provide adequate services to children and families in need.

The Greek Ombudsman

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Two of the best (according to our knowledge) institutions in Athens:

SOS Children Villages and

the Arch (Kivotos) run by Father Andonios, a Greek Orthodox priest

have stated that they have more children and families seeking for help

and that they try to help the family and keep them united.

Both these institutions and many others face:

less funding (if any) by the State,

more taxes (up to last year Philanthropic organizations had an important

tax rebate, did not pay property tax, and donations could be deducted

from the taxation of donors).

Greek Philanthropic Organisations

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Despite the government recognising the need for Philanthropic

organisations, they increase their financial burden.


Legal migrants

Because we run a Refugee Centre, we know that regular migrants are

the first victims of the crisis and so are their children:

Legal migrants are :

first to lose their jobs or part of their salaries

often working without social benefits

facing a new phenomenon of racism and xenophobia

their children often leaving school early to work or help at home

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Legal migrants are the hardest hit group in this crisis.


Irregular migrants and Caritas Athens

Irregular migrant children living in Greece:

live in real poverty from their arrival in

Greece

although they have free access to free

education and vaccination, their parents do

not dare to register them and therefore they

ared eprived of both

At the Refugee Centre of Caritas Athens they

get a warm meal, clothes, toys, vaccinations,

powdered milk and nappies. Also their

parents get advice from the social services

and have access to Greek and English free

classes.

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Thank you.

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the greek experience and the impact on child poverty

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