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TEHRAN, May 24 -United Nations rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights has slammed the British government for denying facts about rising poverty in the country, saying the denial is as troubling as the poverty itself.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) -Philip Alston said on Friday that a government statement earlier this week which came in response to his report on poverty in Britain was a sign that authorities were not caring about increasing number of families across the country who were being forced into poverty and homelessness as a result of government policies.
“The statement is as troubling as the situation ... There is nothing that indicates any willingness to debate over issues which have generated endless very detailed, totally reputable reports across the political spectrum in the UK. All of these are dismissed,” said Alston.
The eminent New York-based human rights lawyer released excerpts of his final report on poverty in Britain on Wednesday. The report, planned to be presented to the UN top bodies next month, details how a series of harsh government measures on austerity, which began in 2010 following the rise of the Conservatives to power, have helped social gaps to deepen while pushing millions of people into poverty.
The report, compiled based on interviews and research carried out by Alston during his last year trip to Britain, also blames a governments social care policy for the increased poverty.
The Department for Work and Pensions reacted to Alston’s report by dismissing it as “barely believable” while authorities said the UK government would complain to UN high commissioner on human rights over the matter.
Reliable estimates by the UN and other bodies suggest a fifth of the UK population, around 14 million people, live in poverty. That comes despite the fact the country is the fifth largest economy in the world.
Source: Press TV
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