Breaking the Cycle: Dignity and Justice on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

Every year on October 17, the world recognizes the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, a day that reminds us that poverty is not a natural state of the world but instead, it’s the result of choices, systems, and inequalities that can be changed. Established by the United Nations in 1992, the day traces its origins to 1987, when thousands gathered in Paris to honour victims of poverty and hunger and to declare that poverty is a violation of human rights.

While poverty is often measured in income, it extends far beyond the lack of money. It includes barriers to education, healthcare, housing, and equal participation in society. According to the United Nations, more than 690 million people currently live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $2.15 a day. The World Bank warns that if current trends continue, over 600 million people could still face extreme poverty by 2030.

Yet, these statistics show much more. They reflect real lives shaped by systemic inequity. Poverty can mean being unheard in decision-making, unseen by policy, and unsupported by institutions that should protect rather than punish.

The 2025 theme, “Ending Social and Institutional Maltreatment,” focuses on the ways poverty is sustained by social stigma and structural neglect. Too often, people living in poverty are treated with suspicion rather than compassion, encountering judgment in social systems or discrimination in policy. This form of maltreatment deepens inequality. When families are denied support or girls are discouraged from education because of social bias, poverty becomes self-perpetuating. Ending it requires more than financial aid; it requires dismantling the attitudes and institutional practices that deny dignity.

Poverty and gender inequality are inseparable. Across the world, women and girls experience poverty differently and more severely. Unequal access to education and employment, unpaid care work, wage gaps, and gender-based violence all compound economic barriers.

When girls are empowered with education, leadership opportunities, and access to healthcare, they uplift not only themselves but their entire communities. Studies show that every year of secondary education a girl completes can increase her future earnings and reduce child marriage rates. This proves that empowering girls is one of the most effective tools for poverty reduction.

References:

United Nations. (2024). International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. https://www.un.org/en/observances/day-for-eradicating-poverty UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). (2025). Ending Social and Institutional Maltreatment: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2025. https://social.desa.un.org/issues/poverty-eradication/events/povertyday2025 World Bank. (2025, June 5). Update to Global Poverty Lines. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/factsheet/2025/06/05/june-2025-update-to-global-poverty-lines United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (2025). Statement on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. https://www.undp.org