A/HRC/43/44/Add.5 IV. Poverty, social protection and food aid 74. Since the economic crisis, Italy has struggled to recover and many families have gone from middle-income to low-income, in many cases are unable to access sufficient quality food. With an unemployment rate of 9.8 per cent,41 the country is affected by consistently high poverty rates. Poverty levels have also been exacerbated by the migration influx, which has brought to the country a number of migrants escaping war and famine in their country of origin. They, together with those Italian families who have been greatly affected by the consequences of the economic crisis, are the new poor. Data from 2018 indicate there are a total of 5 million people living in extreme poverty (8.4 per cent). The incidence of families living in absolute poverty is higher in the south (9.6 per cent) and in the islands (10.8 per cent) compared to the north-west (6.1 per cent), and north-east and centre (5.3 per cent).42 Minors living in absolute poverty account for 12.6 per cent of the total population of 1.8 million families living in absolute poverty, and the incidence of absolute poverty among foreigners is 30.3 per cent. 75. A study published in 2019 suggests that the majority of poor individuals are located in Campania (16.5 per cent), Lombardy (13.3 per cent) and Sicily (12.5 per cent). These are followed by Lazio (7.5 per cent), Veneto (7.4 per cent), Piedmont and Calabria (both 6.6 per cent).43 Some of the regions affected by high rates of poverty are also the wealthiest regions, where the majority of the country’s manufacturing industry is located, suggesting that there is an unequal division of income among individuals and the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few. 76. While average salaries seem to have increased slightly in the last two years, the cost of living for an average Italian family is still considerably high. As a result, families have just enough income to cover basic expenses, and in the last few years, a consistent 20 per cent of families have been considered at risk of falling into poverty. The risk is even greater for families with children and single parents.44 A. Guaranteed minimum income 77. To combat extreme poverty and address its root causes, in 2019 the Government introduced a law on a guaranteed minimum income.45 This is a social welfare provision that guarantees that citizens have an income sufficient to live on, provided they meet certain conditions. A request to access the guaranteed minimum income can be presented by citizens of Italy or the European Union or a relative living in a third country, and by refugees and stateless persons. The applicant must also have been a resident of Italy for at least 10 years, the last two of which on a continuous basis. The tool was designed to benefit those families or households that do not have a job or any sort of income or do have a job or income but it is insufficient to have a decent standard of living. 78. The measure has resulted in a number of families or households accessing a temporary source of income that amounts to a maximum of 500 euros for one-member families, to which 280 euros may be added if the beneficiary pays rent or a mortgage. The system is designed to re-establish financial independence, including by accessing job opportunities through job centres and additional social services ensured by municipalities. The supply of minimum income lasts 18 months, it can be reapplied for any time if necessary, and the application can be resubmitted after a one-month interruption if the eligibility criteria are still in place and the original needs for the request have not been overcome. 41 42 43 44 45 Data for December 2019, published by the National Institute of Statistics in January 2020. National Institute of Statistics, “Le statistiche dell’ISTAT sulla povertà: anno 2018”. Available at www.istat.it/it/files/2019/06/La-povert%C3%A0-in-Italia-2018.pdf. Ibid., “Le spese per i consumi delle famiglie: anno 2018”. Available at www.istat.it/it/files/2019/06/Spese-delle-famiglie-Anno-2018_rev.pdf. Ibid. Italian Official Gazette, “Guaranteed minimum income”, 2019. Available at www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2019/01/28/19G00008/sg. 13