Poverty is a growing crisis for individuals and families that current social welfare programmes are not designed to solve. Because those at risk of poverty will always be a minority, there is insufficient political focus on finding effective ways of eradicating the root causes of this problem.

The European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions show that 88,462 people in Malta were under the poverty line in 2023. Even more disturbing, a fifth of those at risk of poverty were young people under the age of 18.

A complete rethink is necessary to empower people to overcome poverty in the short and medium term. The political approach to addressing the challenge of poverty has, at times, been based on a barter process whereby politicians promise handouts to financially or medically distressed individuals in return for their votes. This is not the way to eradicate the root causes of poverty.

The abuse of our social welfare system has understandably made many citizens cynical about society’s obligation to help those most in need to build self-worth and hope of escaping the poverty trap. Too often, successive generations in some families are condemned to living on the fringes of society. 

Allowing all those in society to have an earning capacity is one of the keys to alleviating poverty. When persons can provide for their families, they have the power to improve the standard of living, health, nutrition and possibility of education. 

The present welfare system is often complicated, open to abuse, time-consuming and dehumanising for those who need support. In the end, people at risk of poverty do not receive the support they need and the cycle of poverty continues.

A reformed social welfare system’s ultimate objective must be to promote strong families where children and older adults are given all the help they need to live decently

There is a better way to eradicate the root causes of poverty.

The last four decades’ free market economic and political philosophy has, undoubtedly, helped many to grow richer and provide a good quality of life for their families. However, it has also created a new class of the working poor, as many workers have been forced to accept precarious working conditions. 

Put simply, workers have become a disposable commodity that can be hired and fired as and when necessary. This is not how to empower more people to take control of their destiny.

The first measure to address poverty is to aim to abolish it by ensuring that all workers are paid decent wages rather than be offered financial handouts when they face misery. 

A reformed social welfare system’s ultimate objective must be to promote strong families where children and older adults are given all the help they need to live decently. Of course, self-reliance must be hardwired in social welfare policies with more meaningful involvement of voluntary organisations that work on the coalface of the deprived section of our society.

It is not enough for political leaders to declare their concern for the poor to prove they care. They must ensure that local and foreign workers are not in precarious work conditions. Some businesses will object to eradicating precarious work, arguing that this will create unemployment. Instead, they should invest more in providing skills training for the production of goods and services that they sell.

There will always be a small minority in the community that, because of their age and medical challenges, cannot do much to support themselves. These will need the support of others to live decently. However, those who can work must be helped to experience economic security that will benefit them, their children and, ultimately, the rest of the community.