Up to 2.5m Dutch below poverty line

According to research from Platform31/EUKN, poverty is growing in Europe and the Netherlands. In five years the percentage of Dutch people at risk of poverty or social exclusion increased from 14.9 percent to 15.9 percent. This amounts to more than 2.5 million people. The risk of poverty and social exclusion among children increased from 15.5 percent to 17 percent in the same period. This is about 604 thousand children in the Netherlands. Poverty in the Netherlands is mostly concentrated in the disadvantaged areas of cities. This spatial concentration and segregation reduces the opportunities for the poor to improve their situation. This creates unequal opportunities for children in education and unequal opportunities in the labor market later in life. Children raised in poverty also have a lower life expectancy. Poverty can only be effectively addressed by an integrated approach to income support, education, employment, housing and participation. The spatial concentration of poverty in disadvantaged neighborhoods must also be addressed. This can be done by offering good and affordable transport between neighborhoods and city centers and by stimulating entrepreneurship in "transitional neighborhoods". Today, October 17th, is world poverty day.