2021
Serious material poverty is the reality for almost 2% of Sweden’s population. This means that 184,000 people live in such circumstances that they may not be able to put food on the table every day or that they cannot meet other necessary costs.
Poverty Watch Main Findings
Most Affected Groups
Jobseekers
Foreign-born population
Refugees
Children
Main Priorities
- Reasonable minimum income for everyone: That the social insurance system’s low benefit levels for pensions, sickness benefit and unemployment are adjusted so that they ensure the opportunity to live a dignified life with full participation in society.
- Effects of the Covid19 pandemic: That the government ensures that efforts made to curb the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are inclusive and do not further contribute to increasing gaps and the social and digital exclusion of individuals and groups.
- Eliminate protective measures due to the pandemic: Opportunity for personal meetings without requirements for technical competence or equipment must be the main principle.
- Resources to preventive measures: That preventive measures are given increased resources, e.g. social investments in everything from youth centers, schools, social services, housing and labor market measures.
- Dental care: also for social inclusion and the opportunity to get a job. Subsidies for dental care must be strengthened and included in the general health insurance.
- Digital exclusion: Special attention is paid to those who practically or financially lack access to digital services.
- Right to housing: An active housing policy against poverty, segregation and exclusion. Efforts against homelessness. Better opportunities for adapted housing.
- Organisation of public support: individual person should have access to the service he/she needs. If a person has contact to several public institutions, one proposal is that every individual should have access to a coordinator.
- Right to inclusion: That society should work for everyone’s right to descent material standard and participation in society through work, support or employment adapted to everyone’s abilities and needs.
2020
We can state daily that poverty and exclusion are growing in Sweden. The ongoing covid-19 pandemic is also contributing to that development. It is an experience that is also reflected in current statistics from e.g. Eurostat. Sweden is one of the few countries in the EU where the risk of poverty and social exclusion increases. But for many it is a partially invisible problem.
Poverty Watch Main Findings
Main priorities
- That a relevant definition of poverty in Sweden is developed and clear goals are set for how poverty is to be combated and how this is to be measured.
- That the government makes a comprehensive survey of poverty in Sweden.
- That in this survey they collaborate with the actors of civil society and make use of their experiences and knowledge.
- That the government rectifies the current system errors / system deficiencies in our welfare systems, and develops strategies that counteract these.
- That the social insurance system’s low benefit levels for pensions, sickness benefit and unemployment are adjusted so that they ensure the opportunity to live a dignified life with full participation in society.
- That the low benefit levels of income support (social assistance) are raised and adapted to general living costs and current needs in today’s society.
- That the government ensures that efforts made to mitigate the effects of the covid-19 pandemic are inclusive and do not further contribute to increasing gaps and social and digital exclusion for individuals and groups.
- Protective measures and restrictions in community service and contact opportunities due to the pandemic must be reconsidered when the conditions change and eliminated when the need no longer exists.
- Housing guarantee – right to housing. An active housing policy against poverty, segregation and exclusion.
- That society should work for everyone’s right to livelihood and participation, through work, support or employment adapted to each person’s abilities and needs.
Contact details
EAPN Sverige
C/o Lena HUSS
Norr Mälarstrand 86
S-112 34 Stockholm (Sweden)
E-mail: lena.eapn (@) gmail.com
Website: https://eapnblog.wordpress.com/
