A group of academics, health professionals, and union and community organization representatives presented a compendium of proposals to fight child poverty in Puerto Rico, where, according to participants, more than 50 percent of children and young people live below the poverty level. The document, 'Compendio de Ensayos Multidisciplinarios: Erradicación Pobreza Infantil en Puerto Rico', covers employment, wages, public education, physical and mental health, food security, climate change and community participation.
It was presented around the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, observed October 17. Participants attributed persistent child poverty to structural factors, economic inequalities and austerity policies they said have weakened public services. Economist Iyari Ríos called for jobs with good wages and defended Puerto Rico’s minimum wage law, which provides periodic reviews tied to cost of living.
Issel Masses, executive director of Sembrando Sentido, urged sufficient public education funding distributed according to school communities’ needs. Lourdes Torres of EDUCAMOS cited the retirement age raised to 62, the elimination of lifetime retirement benefits, lack of salary scales and Carrera Magisterial debts as factors affecting teachers. Federico Cintrón Moscoso, director of El Puente Puerto Rico, warned that children of poor families face greater hardship from heat waves, droughts and environmental pollution. The compendium demands government policies with sufficient resources, verifiable goals and community participation.