Among those under six years of age, poverty among Afro-descendants reaches twice the average, according to the international organization.
For the UN, child poverty is “a key issue” for the future of Uruguay.
UN
“In Uruguay, the child poverty it is ten times greater than poverty in the population over 65 years of age. It is a very atypical case and it is very serious in the case of people of African descent,” said Pablo Ruiz Hiebracoordinator of the Organization of United Nations (UN) who resides in the country, in the framework of a meeting organized by the National Institution of Human Rights and the Ombudsman’s Office (Inddhh), under the International Day for Racial Elimination.
According to the official of the international organization, child poverty is a problem that “hits directly” the Afro-descendant population in Uruguay.
Ruiz Hiebra stressed that for the UN child poverty is “a key issue” for the future of the country and emphasized that the incidence in children under six years of age is 22.5%.
In accordance with this, during his participation in the forum of the event, he said that, in general, in that age range, poverty in the Afro-descendant population is twice the average. And, according to data from the Ministry of Social Development, more than 10% of the Uruguayan population considers itself to be of African descent.
Finally, he stressed that child poverty is a key issue not only for the current situation, but also thinking about the future of the country.
He added that eradicating it should be an important issue for those who aspire to run in next year’s presidential elections and that this is “an achievable achievement.”
Discrimination against people of African descent in Uruguay
For his part, the president of the Inddhh, Marcos Israeltold the press that in Uruguay there are still incidents of discrimination, while adding that the Afro-descendant population continues to suffer a “historical lag” in socioeconomic and educational matters.
“It is important that there really be a change, that Afro-descendants can access more important job training and, above all, to be able to insert themselves into the academic phase. To have more presence in the universities and to be able to project a future that is different from the one to the community itself. we have now,” he concluded.
Source: Ambito
