<
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2024/12/7/a-year-into-javier-mileis-presidency-argentinas-poverty-hits-a-new-high>
"Buenos Aires, Argentina – Marianela Abasto, 24, had never been to a soup
kitchen before. Now, she sits on an old school chair in a busy courtyard
outside of one, eating a ravioli stew from a disposable plastic container.
She and her four-year-old daughter, Alma, wait for her husband, Saul, 36, to
finish having a shower inside the facility, which also offers hygiene services.
It’s an unusually warm November afternoon in Buenos Aires, and Abasto looks
exhausted.
Over the past year, Abasto lost her home. She blames the Argentinian government
for her present circumstances.
“This is very hard. Before, we had a home. We had access to subsidies. But [the
government] suddenly took everything away,” Abasto told Al Jazeera, her face a
mix of sadness and resignation. “I don’t know what we are going to do.”
Abasto is one of the increasing numbers of Argentinians who fell deeper into
poverty during the first year of Javier Milei’s presidency.
For nearly 40 years, Argentina’s poverty level had consistently hovered above
25 percent. But since the far-right Milei took office on December 10, 2023,
that figure has skyrocketed.
Over the last year, the poverty rate reached nearly 53 percent. That is the
highest level in 20 years, according to a research team at the Argentine
Catholic University (UCA) that has kept track of key economic indicators.
That spike has led experts and advocates to increasingly question Milei’s
“chainsaw” approach to slashing public spending — and its consequences."
Via Frederick Wilson II.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
