The Hidden Injury of Poverty: Why Dignity Is the New Frontline | International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2025
The Hidden Injury of Poverty: Why Dignity Is the New Frontline
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty – 17 October
On October 17th, 1987 over 100,000 people gathered at the Trocadero in Paris – the site where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948. They gathered to honour victims of extreme poverty, hunger and fear. Activist Joseph Wrensinki, founder of the international movement ATD Fourth World, unveiled a commemorative stone inscribed with his words “Wherever men and women are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are violated. To come together to ensure that these rights be respected is our solemn duty.”
The United Nations Mandate: From Protest to Global Pledge
Five years later in 1992 the United Nations formally adopted this date transforming a single act of protest into an annual, worldwide mandate for justice. The United Nation General Assembly (UNGA) officially declared October 17th as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty through a resolution inviting all members to devote the day to promoting concreate activities to alleviate poverty.
Now every year on October 17th the focus is not just on income but on the soul of the fight:
- The Violation of Dignity – The day forces the world to confront the reality of poverty – not just as an empty pocket but as the lack of roof over a child’s head, the agonising choice between medicine and food and the invisible scars of constant humiliation.
- The Unheard Witnesses – This day belongs to the people who live this reality every day. It is their microphone, their moment to break the silence demanding that policy be built on their wisdom and experience, not just on reports written about them.
Core Purpose and Philosophy
It emphasizes that poverty is a violation of human rights and a denial of human dignity.
- Platform for the Poor – A central goal is to provide a platform for people experiencing poverty to speak about their struggles, make their concerns heard, and have their efforts in fighting poverty acknowledged. The day is unique in its emphasis on the participation of people with lived experiences.
- Multidimensional View – The observance highlights that poverty is a complex, multidimensional issue encompassing not just lack of income but also unsafe housing, limited access to healthcare and education, dangerous work conditions, unequal access to justice and lack of political power.
- Global Solidarity – It serves as a moment to reaffirm the collective global commitment to eradicating poverty and discrimination often associated with it.
Annual Theme for 2025
“Ending Social and Institutional Maltreatment: Ensuring respect and effective support for families living in poverty.”
This theme focuses on the non-monetary, hidden aspects of poverty, recognizing that families often face stigma, judgement, and intrusive surveillance.
Social Maltreatment
This refers to pervasive experience of stigma, discrimination and disrespect from the wider society. Families in poverty often face:
- Judgement and blame for their situation.
- Negative attitudes based on their appearance, address or perceived social class.
- Pervasive sense of humiliation and shame that erodes self-esteem and agency.
Institutional Maltreatment
This refers to harmful, often punitive policies and rules embedded in institutions like schools, clinics, welfare offices and child protection systems. It includes:
- Controlling and discriminatory practices such as intrusive surveillance and burdensome eligibility checks.
- A lack of trust and respect in service encounters.
- The risk of poverty-driven family separation where child protection systems default to removal rather than providing adequate support to keep families together.
- The overall effect is that institutions made to be a safety net can instantly become a source of injustice and control.
Call to Action
The theme is a direct call for a fundamental transformation in how governments and societies interact with families experiencing poverty. The goal is to “put the furthest behind first” and build institutions that help families stay together, strive and shape their own futures. It urges three key shifts:
- Shift – From control to careFocus – Designed services based on trust.Practical Action – Reduce punitive conditionalities, streamline documentation and prioritize respectful person-centric interactions.
- Shift – From surveillance to supportFocus – Rebalance investments towards strengthening families.Practical Action – Increase support of income, quality childcare, adequate housing, mental health care, parenting support and access to justice.
- Shift – Top-down to co-created solutionsFocus – Involve families in the design and delivery of policy.Practical Action – Involve people with live experience of poverty at every stage (Assessment, Design, Budgeting, Delivery and Evaluation).
Conclusion
Eradicating poverty requires a fundamental shift in mindsets and system design. It confirms that poverty is not a personal failure but a systematic denial of dignity perpetuated by stigma, judgement and harmful institutional practices. The final call is for global societies to move from paradigm of control and surveillance to one of trust and collaboration, partnering with families in poverty to co-create inclusive support systems. True poverty eradication is inseparable from achieving social justice and recognizing the full human rights of every family.
About the Author
Adv. Mamta Singh Shukla is an Advocate at the Supreme Court of India and Founder of Vijay Foundations — an initiative dedicated to social justice, education, and empowerment. Through her writings, she advocates for human dignity, equality, and systemic change.
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