Social exclusion in Venezuela: facts and figures from the experts

www.vheadline.com Posted: Sunday, February 02, 2003 - 7:11:57 AM By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

According to Higher Business Studies Institute (IESA), there are around 1 million persons in Venezuela living in a state of social exclusion. Researchers attending a forum titled, “Social Pact towards overcoming poverty and development,” describe such persons as people with no work, no education no social nucleus .. 38% are young people and 75% men.

Andres Bello Catholic University (UCAB) Social Studies Institute director, Luis Pedro Espana makes a distinction between poverty patterns before and after the current government … "in 20 years before Chavez Frias there was a progressive curve of 56% of families moving towards poverty but in the last four years the curve has shot up spectacularly."

The forum has published the following conclusions:

800,000 families live in extreme poverty (approximately 4.5 million nucleons) bringing the housing shortage to 1.8 million houses

600,000 low-income households live in shacks

Of every 10 workers, 5 belong to informal sector, 2 are unemployed, 1 works in the public sector and two are on private sector payrolls

22% of people over 55 yrs. old are illiterate 652,000 children between the ages of 3-6 do not attend pre-school 142,000 (7-12) do not go the primary school 208,00 miss out at secondary schools

Espana says we have become a "society of losers looking for scapegoats and in need of an avenging angel … the current government is repeating mistakes of the past but using the avenger discourse creating a series falsehoods based on confrontation.”