Yesterday 17 October was the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

But this is not simply another date on the international calendar.

It is a day that carries history, memory and, above all, a call to action. Why was this particular date chosen?

The story goes back to 17 October 1987, in Paris. On that day, more than 100,000 people gathered at the Trocadéro, at the Place des Droits de l'Homme - the place where, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights had been signed. This gathering was organised by Father Joseph Wresinski, founder of the ATD Fourth World movement, who had spent years working with people living in extreme poverty and exclusion.

They gathered to commemorate the victims of extreme poverty, hunger and violence, and to make a declaration that would change the way we understand poverty. The message was powerful: poverty is a violation of human rights.

This represented an important shift in thinking. Poverty could no longer be seen simply as a lack of income or as a problem caused by the individual, as if the misery they were experiencing was entirely of their own making. That is perhaps the greatest poverty of human beings - especially those who are too quick to speak before they think.

On that occasion, a commemorative stone was also unveiled, carrying Wresinski's message that wherever people are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are being violated. From there, a tradition began that continues to this day. However, it was formally recognised by the United Nations General Assembly in 1992.

This day should remind us that those living in poverty are not simply "beneficiaries" of social policy. They are human beings with dignity, a voice, experiences and the right to be involved in decisions that affect their lives.

The United Nations itself emphasises that 17 October should be an opportunity to listen to the struggles and efforts of those living in poverty and to recognise that they themselves are among the first people fighting to overcome the circumstances in which they find themselves.

Poverty today can be invisible and cannot be measured simply by what we see, or by whether a person has a job. A person can work and still live in poverty. A family may have an adequate income and still be unable to afford the rent, which has soared. A parent may have a job but still struggle to meet the costs of food, energy, transport and their children's education.

Poverty can mean living in inadequate housing. It can mean being unable to access healthcare when you need it. It can mean that your children do not have the same opportunities as other children. It can mean being unable to participate fully in society. It can also mean reaching a point where you begin to feel that the world would carry on just the same without you - or even that it would be better off without you.

The United Nations recognises that people living in poverty may face problems related to insecure housing, inadequate nutrition, limited access to healthcare, justice and social participation.

Poverty, therefore, is not simply about how much money you have in your pocket. It is about how much opportunity you have to live a life of dignity.

In 2026, the message of 17 October has become even more relevant. This year, the United Nations theme is "Safe Homes for All." This message is certainly not a coincidence.

The reality is that without a stable home, it is much more difficult to have stability in life. Housing affects health, education, employment, family relationships and participation in society. The housing issue, therefore, is not simply about buildings. It is a question of dignity.

When a person has to choose between paying the rent and buying food, between medicine and paying the bills, or when a family feels as though it is living like nomads, we cannot speak only about economic statistics. We are talking about people's lives.

In Malta too, we need to understand that poverty is not always visible.

Not every person experiencing hardship can be seen on the streets. There is the worker who goes to work every day but has nothing left at the end of the month. There is the family living with the fear that the rent will rise again. There is the older person counting every euro. There is the single parent trying to balance work and family life. There is the person with a disability facing barriers that few people notice.

And there is another kind of poverty: shame, loneliness, stigma and the feeling that you are outside society.

Therefore, when we talk about the fight against poverty, we cannot speak only about how much we will provide in benefits or how much a particular statistic will fall.

We must ask whether society is providing people with the opportunity to move forward.

The fight against poverty is not a fight against those who have been left behind in life. It means that we must not stigmatise those who are suffering. We should not immediately ask what they did wrong. We should not tell them that if only they had worked harder, they would have succeeded. Because life is not that simple for everyone.

Poverty can be inherited. It can result from illness, disability, separation, job loss, a family crisis, high housing costs or dozens of other circumstances over which a person may have little or no control.

Yesterday should not just be a day of remembrance.

If this day remains merely a conference, a poster, a hashtag or a speech, then we will have missed its true meaning.

Behind every waiting list there is a family.

Behind every statistic there is a story.

Behind every social case there is a human being who deserves to be respected.

In 1987, more than 100,000 people gathered in Paris to say that poverty is not a destiny and that dignity is not a privilege.

That message remains just as relevant today. The fight against poverty begins with us - when we stop seeing a human being as a problem and start seeing them as a person with rights, with a voice and with dignity.

Ivan Bartolo MP is Shadow Minister for Social Policy, Family and Social Housing