The non-profit organizations Libera and Gruppo Abele are promoting a petition about to ask the Italian Parliament for the introduction of a Guaranteed Minimum Income. The petition has already exceeded 70.000 signatures.
Several Italian local authorities as well as non-profit associations have already joined the campaign titled “100 days for a Minimum Income against poverty and organised crime”, and CESIE is proud to be one of them.
The aim of this campaign is to call for the submission of a strong draft law to the Italian Parliament in 100 days, to be discussed and approved in the shortest delay. Although the European Union has been urging the Italian Government for an intervention, Italy still lacks a bill ensuring economical protection for citizens living below the poverty line.
On June 6th , the National Day for Dignity and Economical Support will be celebrated: during this day, Libera and Gruppo Abele, in association with their partners, will organise specific events in most Italian cities to collect signatures. In Palermo, the event will take place from 3 pm in the square of Mondello: there will be some gazebos where you can sign the petition as well as music and leisure activities for children. CESIE will be there: come and join us!
What really matters is not just to reach 100.000 signatures, but more importantly to raise people’s awareness of a still little-known social issue.
A way to fight against poverty and organised crime
The Minimum Income is a temporary form of economic and social assistance to tackle poverty. It guarantees a decent, though minimum, income to people who are below the poverty line. So it is addressed to anyone who does not work or cannot access the social welfare system, e.g. workers affected by the pension reform or redundancy workers. Most European Countries have already introduced measures like the Guaranteed Minimum Income, except for Greece, Bulgaria and Italy.
According to Eurostat projections published on October 3rd 2005, Italy has the highest poverty risk among all EU countries. It is quite clear that if the Italian Government does not introduce any means of income support, the risk of poverty and social and economic unrest could have disastrous effects.
Even if several draft laws have already been submitted to the Italian Parliament, our country has not yet adopted any effective measure to solve an increasingly critical situation. As a matter of fact, data provided by Istat show that between 2008 and 2014 the economy crisis has almost doubled the rate of absolute and relative poverty in Italy as well as in Europe.
This pitiful condition of economic disadvantage and social inequality is feeding organised crime. Mafias feed upon frustration of those who cannot find a job that fulfils their expectations and aspirations. As a consequence, work as a fundamental right guaranteed by the Italian Constitution, could turn into an instrument of extortion.
This is the reason why Libera and Gruppo Abele have promoted this campaign about Guaranteed Minimum Income: to take oxygen away from criminal organizations and give it back to citizens.
