by FOTEINI SVARNA
Greek Parliament building at Syntagma, Athens. PHOTO/Lefteris Heretakis
On December 29, 2014 the Greek Parliament failed to elect a new president in the final parliamentary vote. Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has called for a snap national election on January 25, 2015. Though Greeks seem to be optimistic after positive signs of recovery and the return of the Greek state to the international markets in 2014, a new period of uncertainty is fraying their nerves and reigniting the fear of poverty.
Babiniotis Dictionary of Modern Greek defines poverty as the state of being poor. “Lacking the necessary resources … poverty … has existed since ancient times as an endemic state in any small country with limited natural resources and means, such as Greece.” The rate of employment is a credible and valid means of measuring poverty because, through employment, a worker can meet his or her basic needs.
Eurostat and the Hellenic Statistical Authority reports indicate that in Greece, 31 percent of the population was living at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2011. The statistic reflects the lives of Greek families coping with strict austerity measures and extremely high taxes. Many salaries in Greece are not enough for basic needs such as housing, nutrition, and clothing. Greeks who could afford a house and a car before the financial crisis were suddenly left without work and now fight for survival.
Children are often at greater risk of poverty or social exclusion than the rest of the population. In Greece we quite often hear stories about children going to school hungry or underfed, and asking their classmates for leftovers. Nick, a builder living in Athens, confides that he has not secured a job for more than two years. His daughter fainted at her school because for days they were living on pasta. Unfortunately Greek schools do not offer subsidized lunches. For parents like Nick, the cold shadow of the fear of poverty hovers around them and it is robbing them of their hopes and dreams.
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