On 22 December 1992, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared October 17, as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

October 17, presents an opportunity to acknowledge the effort and struggle of people living in poverty, a chance for them to make their concerns heard, and a moment to recognize that poor people are the first ones to fight against poverty.

In Saskatchewan, there are very large numbers of people who are living, unhoused and homeless – this is a very serious concern in every city and community.

Housing and poverty are human rights issues and we all have an opportunity to express our concerns with the Saskatchewan provincial election scheduled for October 28 (with advance polls starting on October 22) and local (municipal) elections on November 13. Use your voice and ask questions about the plans of all of the candidates and their representatives to address this.

People living in poverty face negative attitudes. They are stigmatized, discriminated against, judged for example by their appearance, accent, address – or lack of it, blamed for their situation, and treated with disrespect.

Social maltreatment creates a setting for institutional maltreatment, with a combination of negative attitudes, like mistrust and disrespect, as well as controlling discriminatory policies and practices, denying people of their fundamental human rights, for example, access to healthcare, education, housing, and the right to legal identity. Social and institutional maltreatment interact and amplify each other, fueling this double-edged violence and deepening the injustice, and this is more pronounced for people who face other forms of prejudice as well, including gender, sexual orientation, race, or ethnicity.

For October 17, 2024 the United Nations has adopted the theme: Ending Social and Institutional Maltreatment Acting together for just, peaceful and inclusive societies. This theme connects every well to Saskatchewan where houseless and homeless people do not receive adequate social security. Saskatchewan has the lowest minimum wage in Canada – well below a living wage.

Learn more about the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty here