In a statement by the CETIM Human Rights Council (2007), they state that “poverty limits the capacity of individuals to exercise their freedom, to enjoy their most fundamental rights, to live in dignity, and to take their place fully in society.”

“The Declaration and Programme of Action adopted at the International Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, in 1993, affirmed in Point 1.25 that extreme poverty and social exclusion constitute a violation of human dignity and in Point 1.14, that extreme poverty inhibits the full and effective enjoyment of human rights” (CETIM, 2007).

Human rights state that everyone is entitled to rights without discrimination. These rights include freedom from discrimination, the right to equality, the right to adequate living standards, right to work, right to adequate food, right to adequate housing, right to health, right to education, right to personal security and privacy, right of equal access to justice, civil and political rights (Canada Without Poverty, 2015).

Human rights for people experiencing poverty go beyond the scope of basic needs. Important areas of consideration are that people also have access to justice and other services, access to literacy and education opportunities, and natural supports. In order to properly understand the different dimensions of poverty, it is also important to examine the racialization of poverty, or how race and poverty intersect in significant ways with one another.