For the government all those experiencing the danger of poverty and insecurity simply don’t exist

Statement by AKEL C.C. Spokesperson Stefanos Stefanou

On young people and the risk of poverty

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 23 January 2019, Nicosia

The European Statistical Office Eurostat notes that the number of young people experiencing the danger of poverty in Cyprus has risen dramatically in recent years and the percentage in Cyprus is significantly higher than the average rate in Europe.

Eurostat has identified 51,000 young people (16-29 years old) in Cyprus at risk of poverty, 30,000 of whom are already facing serious material deprivation.

This figure is due to the unemployment plaguing young people, as well as the result of the deregulation of work being promoted and encouraged by the government ruling forces through the policies they are implementing.

There are thousands of working people who are working without rights and on very low wages. As a result in Cyprus a new social group has been created in recent years: the working poor. Namely, those who, although with a job, are on such low wages that they can’t make ends meet even with regards essential goods.

This, of course, doesn’t concern neither the government, nor the governing DISY party. They live in a world of their own, which has nothing whatsoever to do with the wretched reality experienced by almost a third of the population. According to the “success story” portrayed by the government, all those suffering from inequality, poverty, social and job insecurity don’t exist.

This is precisely what the leader of DISY stated last December: “There are no working people in Cyprus on 500 and 600 euros”.

For the government and ruling forces only the banks, the sale of “golden passports”, the construction of skyscrapers, the promotion of relative’s interests and cronyism exist.