When I’m not here trashing my government, and I’m not working or writing my novel, I’m a volunteer blogger for Amnesty International’s campaign Demand Dignity. In the Demand Dignity platform, any of us can register and “add their voice”, telling what living with dignity means for each one of us.
For Amnesty International, living with dignity is directly related to enforcing human rights and eradicating poverty. And I agree. But when I registered, I was asked to “add my voice”, and I said basically (in spanish) that living with dignity was all about having choices.
Maybe that concept comes from my legal education. The thing is I was taught that if I own a house, the right I have over that house implies I can give it away if I want, or burn it down.
But I can’t talk about my right to food, if I have to think if I eat today, knowing I may don’t have what to eat tomorrow.
I can’t talk about my right to have a family, if I can’t choose who I want to form it with.
I can’t talk about my right of freedom of expression, if I can’t choose what I want to say, and my right to dissent isn’t respected.
I can’t talk about my right to work, if I can’t choose a profession or metier, and my pay isn’t enough to cover my needs.
I can’t talk about my right to have children, if I can’t choose with who, or how many do I want to have, nor how I want to raise them.
I can’t talk about my right to religion, if I can’t choose the God I want to believe in, nor if it’s forced for me to profess a believing, nor if it’s forbidden.
I can’t talk about my right to health, if healthcare isn’t available where I live, nor if it is and I can’t afford it.

Why is important to redefine dignity and poverty? Every country uses a different method to measure poverty. Mine, for instance, uses the “a-dollar-a-day” to measure extreme poverty, wich means that extreme poor population is the one who lives with least than 4,3 Bs.F. (Bolívares Fuertes) a day. A bottle of 600 ml. of water costs around 5 Bs.F. I have to buy bottled water to drink, because tap water isn’t suitable for consumption. In consequence, I don’t believe that’s the ideal way to measure poverty in my country.
I do believe, like Amnesty International, that it isn’t enough that people have two or three dollars to live each day, and to not be considered as poor. People need to be assured and guaranteed their human rights, and that won't be possible if we don't cease to understand poverty as a matter of money.
I wish you tell me what does living with dignity mean to you. And it would be very nice if also, you’d go to Amnesty’s Campaign website and add your voice. Feel free to add me as a friend. I’ll be happy to hear from you.