WILLEMSTAD – Poverty in Curaçao is not only about income shortages — it is also about stress, survival and emotional exhaustion, according to experts who spoke during a recent seminar on poverty organized by the Association of Dutch Caribbean Economists.
Social advocate Ana Maria Pauletta told participants that poverty creates a constant state of anxiety for affected households, where every day becomes a struggle to survive.
She described poverty stress as an invisible but powerful burden.
“Constant worrying, pressure, survival, shame and isolation — it never stops,” Pauletta said during the seminar.
While poverty is often associated with single mothers raising children, Pauletta warned that another vulnerable group is growing rapidly: pensioners.
She pointed to elderly residents living solely on their Algemene Ouderdomsverzekering (AOV) pension as a growing poverty risk group.
With Curaçao’s aging population increasing, that group is expected to become even larger in the coming years.
The issue becomes even more urgent as inflation and higher living costs continue to affect household budgets.
The seminar also revealed frustration over government inaction.
The Ombudsman disclosed that a letter sent to the government in 2022 regarding poverty concerns remains unanswered.
However, during recent parliamentary discussions, officials indicated that a government response is expected soon.
That delayed response has raised questions about how seriously poverty is being treated at the policy level.
Speakers noted that while numerous studies and reports have already identified the causes and possible solutions to poverty, implementation remains the biggest obstacle.
The problem is no longer a lack of information.
It is a lack of execution.
Experts stressed that tackling poverty cannot be left to government alone.
Non-governmental organizations, businesses and private citizens also have a role to play in creating opportunities, supporting vulnerable households and building stronger community safety nets.
The message from the seminar was clear: discussion about poverty is important, but discussion alone changes nothing.
What Curaçao needs now is action.
And for thousands of households facing poverty stress every day, that action cannot come soon enough.