A young man dies in a garbage dump and the Catholic Church calls not to be indifferent

Given the death of a young man during a confrontation between urban recyclers in Mar del Plata (Argentina), the Dialogue Table for the Dignity of the Peripheries, a diocesan organization, puts issues such as indifference, inequality and injustice at the center of the debate that the most disadvantaged sectors face, calling for a forceful response, especially from the State.

A few days ago, a conflict that would have originated between two groups of urban recyclers at the final waste disposal site in Mar del Plata (Argentina) caused the death of a 23-year-old young man and several injuries.

According to the local newspaper The CapitalPolice officers tried to intervene, but they beat them and took their weapons.

Although some versions indicate that it was the recyclers who fired the shots, the victim’s relatives claim that it was one of the police officers who fired the shots, the same newspaper notes.

Given what happened, the Dialogue Table for the Dignity of the Peripheries issued a statement titled The price of indifferencedistributed by the AICA agency.

“The recent tragedy at the Mar del Plata landfill reminds us of the profound inequality that the city is experiencing, where poverty and vulnerability of the most disadvantaged sectors continue to be alarming,” the document states.

“In a place where precariousness is already a daily reality, this fact calls for the urgent need for social justice and highlights the lack of commitment of the State to address these problems,” he considers.

By describing the landfill as “an emblematic site of oblivion and marginality,” the statement warns that “it has become the refuge of many Mar del Plata residents who, with no other option, seek to survive among the garbage, collecting recyclable materials to sell them and get something of money.”

“Entire families gather there in a situation of extreme vulnerability, exposed to health risks, accidents and now death, like that of a young worker, who has hit their communities hard,” he laments.

What happened, considers the Dialogue Table, “is a clear reflection of the lack of public policies that guarantee decent living conditions for all citizens. The absence of inclusion programs, the lack of work and basic services in the periphery, condemns the poorest to live in misery.”

In that sense, he maintains that “justice remains a distant promise for those who need it most.”

Finally, it calls on Mar del Plata society to “an immediate and forceful response.”

“It is not just about addressing the emergency, but about attacking the structural causes that generate it,” he says.

“It is imperative that the State assumes its responsibility and commits to policies that promote equity, inclusion and social justice, to prevent these tragedies from being repeated in the future and so that the most vulnerable do not continue to pay the price of indifference. ”, he concludes.