Reflection

The consequences of the pandemic can be seen at the end of 2021 with almost 14% of the Latin American population living in extreme poverty: ninety million people! As far as the middle classes are concerned, the pandemic has revealed their extreme vulnerability, due to low social security contributions and low levels of social security coverage. During the year 2021, women left the world of work en masse and it became practically impossible for young people to enter the labour market. The loss of more than thirty million jobs is not being compensated for now by the poor recovery of a working population that is becoming more and more informal. With a pandemic that has not yet ended, new jobs seem to be driven more by people's need for work than by the real productivity of the economy. Those who are now gaining employment are generally doing so in worse conditions than those who joined in previous years.

The 2021 Social Report, recently published by CEPAL, proposes a horizon: a new social pact to adopt "transformative public policies, with equality and sustainability at the centre". The pandemic has further underlined that in Latin America and the Caribbean "it is essential to move towards universal, comprehensive, sustainable and resilient social protection systems". In a continent already marked by inequality, the pandemic shows us that the only way forward is to "move towards an economy and a society of solidarity and care".

The number of deaths due to the effects of Covid 19 in Latin America and the Caribbean up to 31 December 2021 accounted for almost a third of all the people who died in the world from this pandemic. And it must be borne in mind that, as in almost every society on the planet, here too the 'accounting' of sick people and deaths is estimated far below the real numbers and the impact on health systems under absolute stress. Overburdened health centres and hospitals have led to lower attendance for follow-up treatment of other illnesses. Two thirds of health care staff are women who were overexposed to the situation, often working double shifts with sick people at home.

Although the mortality impact of the disease seems proportional to the age of maturity, the CEPAL report states that "the population of children, adolescents and young people has been one of the most affected by the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic". Confinement and its socio-cultural impact, together with the fragility of education systems, put many children in situations of malnutrition, school dropout or subjected to maltreatment and abuse at home. More often than not, this aggression has also been directed towards mothers.

The digital divide meant that impoverished populations were twice as likely to be out of school. Similarly, the poorest populations suffered from the lack of health care linked to the saturation of the system, and the absence of alternative food in school canteens. CEPAL concludes: "...the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic especially affect children, adolescents and young people belonging to populations that have historically faced situations of greater vulnerability". Among these groups, the report identifies indigenous people, Afro-descendants, migrants, women and people with disabilities. The crisis is widening social fractures.

For all these reasons, the CEPAL SOCIAL 2021 report calls for three types of measures: economic transfers, improvements in the quality of services and active employment policies.

Firstly, direct economic transfers to those living in the greatest difficulty have proven to be a barrier that has mitigated the impact on many people. CEPAL proposes, with the support of UNICEF, that this be done through "a universal transfer for children" and improvements in the pension system to increase the coverage and adequacy of benefits. To this end, measures must be put in place to make the system more financially sound.

Secondly, it points out that cash transfers should not be made at the cost of reduced public services. In addition to water, energy and sanitation services, internet connectivity is very relevant. It is necessary to ensure quality schooling from early childhood and the creation of an environment of real security in the street, at school and at home that allows children to grow up without violence or fear. The report strongly points out that it is necessary to avoid a "well-being of the population that is almost exclusively propitiated by women's unpaid work".

Finally, CEPAL proposes active employment measures, among which training stands out in a very relevant way. Training is not enough, but it is the main instrument for tackling quality incorporation into the world of work and overcoming technological, gender and ethnic gaps.

These are challenges that must be taken up mainly by the states. The Covid 19 crisis has highlighted the importance of the state as an active economic agent, as a support for the most vulnerable populations and as a guarantor of public services that bring the community together. On the other hand, the political instability and battles for power that take place before our eyes on a daily basis show that without an active, responsible and participatory citizenry, our public administrations spend their energies on personal or partisan objectives far from what we need as societies.That is our challenge.