A/HRC/44/40/Add.2 justice, and prioritization of improving the living conditions of the most vulnerable, the Government’s message is a welcome one, but its actions must live up to that rhetoric. Poverty is ultimately a political choice and Governments can, if they wish, opt to overcome it. 6. The present report focuses on the key issues that require urgent attention. They include comprehensive and creative measures to ease the housing crisis; decent work conditions, including for those in precarious employment and migrant workers; a national minimum income scheme that ensures a basic standard of living for all in need; an early childhood education programme for all children aged 0–3; and far-reaching fiscal reforms to ensure a strong redistributive impact, reduce tax fraud and avoidance, and make corporate tax arrangements transparent. It is encouraging that since the Special Rapporteur’s visit, the Government has already moved to investigate the conditions of migrant workers,4 increase tax revenues5 and publish an index of nationwide rental prices. 6 Concerted and effective action on the issues identified below will benefit not just the vulnerable, but all of Spain. Taking seriously the elimination of poverty will facilitate labour mobility, generate more tax revenue to address debt, improve the efficiency of existing spending and set a course for inclusive future growth. II. Reality of poverty in Spain 7. Spain is a country with a grand history, a global leader in some areas and a cultural beacon. But a close look in the mirror today would not show the country most Spaniards would wish for. The image of a family-based society rooted in deeply shared values and social solidarity has been badly fractured by an economic crisis and subsequent policymaking. The local and familial safety nets that had been historically important continue to work for the well-off, but have been undermined for a large part of the population. Today, Spain ranks close to the bottom in far too many European Union social indicators. 8. Poverty-related indicators are appallingly high: 26.1 per cent of people and 29.5 per cent of children were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2018, among the highest rates in Europe.7 More than 55 per cent had some degree of difficulty making ends meet 8 and 5.4 per cent experienced severe material deprivation. 9 The unemployment rate of 13.78 per cent is more than double that of the European Union average and the situation for youth is particularly distressing with a 30.51 per cent unemployment rate among those below the age of 25.10 Rising employment figures also obscure one of the highest rates of people at risk of in-work poverty in the European Union, with many people working in low-paid, part-time or temporary jobs, earning salaries that are woefully inadequate to cover basic needs. 11 Inequality is shockingly high, with indicators well above European Union averages.12 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Andres Gil, “El Gobierno rebaja temporalmente las peonadas e investigará las condiciones laborales de los trabajadores del campo,” El Diario, 14 February 2020. Agence France-Press, “Spain risks US ire after approving digital services tax,” The Guardian, 18 February 2020. Clara-Laeila Laudette, “Spain will publish a price index for its rental market by March,” Reuters, 19 February 2020. Eurostat, “People at risk of poverty or social exclusion by sex” (2018). National Institute of Statistics, “Risk of poverty or social exclusion (Europe 2020 Strategy) and its components, by age and sex”. National Institute of Statistics, “Persons, by difficulties making ends meet, and age and sex”. Ibid., “Risk of poverty or social exclusion (Europe 2020 Strategy) and its components, by age and sex”. Ibid., “Unemployment rates” (4th quarter 2019), available from www.ine.es/infografias/tasasepa/desktop/tasas.html?t=0&lang=en; Eurostat, “Unemployment statistics” (January 2020), available from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/ index.php/Unemployment_statistics. International Monetary Fund (IMF), “Spain 2018 Article IV Consultation – press release; staff report; and statement by the Executive Director for Spain”, p. 5 (November 2018). The risk of in-work 3