Argentina

Argentina is perceived to be a stable democracy, yet poverty and unemployment continues to affect many Argentines as a result of the 2002 economic crash. Although the country as a whole has recovered from the crash, urban and rural poverty rates continue to increase, leaving over 50 percent of the population with little access to health, education and employment. 

Up until the mid 1980s Argentina suffered at the hands of abusive dictatorships and ongoing economic instability culminating in the economic crash of 2002. One of the most difficult periods in Argentina's history was from 1976 to1983 when it was ruled by a harsh military regime that tried to rid the country of anyone suspected of opposing the government. This seven-year period is now known as the "Dirty War," when secret death camps were set up by the military. Between 10,000 and 30,000 Argentines "disappeared" and horrendous human rights abuses were committed. Since democracy was restored in 1983, Argentina has tried to maintain peace and stability, but the country continued to struggle economically for a number of years.

In 2002, Argentina's economy crashed, leaving the country with very high rates of poverty and unemployment. Although the country as a whole recovered from the crash, the distribution of wealth worsened, meaning that the poor continued to get poorer while the rich got richer. Today, on the outer edges of large cities such as Buenos Aires thousands of people still live in extreme poverty despite improvement in the country's overall economy. In rural areas of the country poverty rates are even higher: In the northern region over 50 percent of the population lives below the poverty line with little access to health, education, or jobs.

While poverty and unemployment continue to affect many Argentines, indigenous groups such as the Wichí and the Mapuche are among the poorest people. In Argentina there are about 16 to 20 indigenous groups that live in the rural northern and southern regions of the country. In these isolated areas, most indigenous people work in agriculture, but the increasing problems of desertification and overgrazing of land has made it difficult for them to grow enough crops to feed their families. In addition, many indigenous people have very limited access to education and most do not speak Spanish. This makes it hard for them to communicate their concerns to those in power and therefore, the national government has often ignored their problems. Up until the 1970s indigenous people were not recognized as citizens of Argentina and today they still do not have the right to own the land their ancestors have lived on for generations. This means that when government and businesses try to take indigenous lands, the indigenous people cannot legally claim the land as theirs or receive compensation for it even though they have lived there for years. Recently, however, some indigenous groups, especially the Mapuche in the southern region of Argentina, have launched legal campaigns to fight back against attempts to take their land. Although they have not always been successful, indigenous people in Argentina are beginning to gain much-needed attention from the government.