Fighting poverty involves human rights<\/p>\n
Kamala Chandrakirana, Indonesian Working Group for Poverty Alleviation
\n(KIKIS), Jakarta<\/p>\n
More debt in the name of the poor, but how much of it will
\nreally benefit the poor? The fight against poverty must address
\nthe structural constraints that systematically marginalize the
\npoor from sources of power and decision making on the allocation
\nof national assets, resources and laws.<\/p>\n
A nationwide dialogue among more than 200 people from around
\nthe country who are part of or working with marginalized
\ncommunities, namely, the urban poor, labor, micro entrepreneurs,
\nfarmers, fishing communities and forest dwellers, has produced a
\ncommon agenda to fight structural poverty. Under the network name
\nof KIKIS (Kelompok Kerja Indonesia untuk Penanggulangan
\nKemiskinan), an anti-poverty agenda has been developed that
\nincludes: changing, and even eliminating, national laws that
\nlimit poor communities' access to assets and resources; securing
\nthe people's right to assembly, including prohibiting violent and
\nrepressive responses to public protests and demonstrations;
\nreorienting education and research institutions to meet the needs
\nof the poor and build their ability to contribute to the
\ndevelopment of alternative policies that would benefit them.<\/p>\n
How does the new debt funding support the current initiatives,
\nwhich the poor have so far carried out independently? Many poor
\nfarmers have begun to reclaim land previously seized from them,
\nbut policy makers make no attempt to engage in a constructive
\ndialogue with them that would address their need to secure access
\nto land. Agrarian reform continues to be omitted from any serious
\ndiscussion on national policy reform.<\/p>\n
Will the new debt money be used by government officials to
\ncreate more \"JPS-like\" disasters in the future? JPS, the
\nIndonesian acronym for the social safety net crash program
\nsponsored by the World Bank and other multilateral organizations,
\nproved to be a breeding ground for corruption and mistargeting
\nthat, until this day, no one is prepared to say has truly
\nbenefited the poor.<\/p>\n
How do we ensure that the new loans are not used to chase
\nstreet vendors away from the source of their livelihood, to
\nattack becak (pedicab) drivers who dare to continue their
\nprofession in the big cities, or to imprison and torture farmers
\nand laborers who are fighting for their voices to be heard? How
\ndo we guarantee that this money is not used in a way that makes
\nthe lives of over a million people displaced by violence and
\nconflict even more difficult?<\/p>\n
In short, how and who will make sure that the new debt money
\nbeing channeled to the Indonesian government in the name of
\n\"working together to reduce poverty\" is not used in a way that
\ndirectly opposes the interests of the poor?<\/p>\n
Addressing structural poverty requires a rights-based
\napproach. This means that all the basic rights of citizens must
\nbe respected as part of the commitment to fight poverty: the
\npolitical, economic, social and cultural rights of all citizens.
\nAnything less than this is not a viable strategy against poverty.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fighting-poverty-involves-human-rights-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}