VIOLETA
SANTOS MOURA

A screen shows a journalist reporting on further austerity measures announced by Portugal's Prime Minister. With unemployment reaching 26% in some countries, surpassing the 25% of the U.S. during the Great Depression, Europe experiences one of its biggest social economic crisis.

A homeless man is seen searching a garbage container looking for food in a touristic area of downtown Lisbon. In the center of Lisbon, where overpriced restaurants for tourists are located, most locals can't afford to buy a meal. The minimum salary in Portugal is 485 euros bruto. With rising taxes on food and electricity, access to health, housing and basic living conditions has been put at jeopardy.

A dockworker protests in front of the Portuguese parliament against work deregulation and labor precarization.

Demonstrators march in downtown Lisbon around the Finance Ministry headquarters during a nation wide strike against further austerity policies to be implemented on an already deeply depressed economy and against the loss of sovereignty in internal decision making to foreign creditors, markets, private enterprise and finiance lobbies.

People walk by in the center of Lisbon where a banner calls for a nationwide strike.

A homeless woman is seen taking shelter outside the offices of the

Portuguese Finance Ministry.

An elderly man passes by a closed restaurant in the center of Lisbon. An increase from 13% to 23% on VAT in food and beverages sectors implemented by the government to collect further taxes, is estimated to have resulted in the bankrupcy of forty thousand companies - restaurants and cafés - and in the direct loss of around one hundred thousand jobs. This caused a snowball effect of large scale unemployment reflected in other related and non directly related sectors.

A bare foot homeless man pleads with a team of volunteers who distribute sandwiches and yogurt to the homeless and unemployed in need.

A man climbs the Lisbon subway stairs heading to a demonstration. In the staircase wall, leading to a major city square, a graffiti expresses, in vernacular language, rejection over further economic sacrifices demanded to the Portuguese people i.e. "sacrifices, my di*#k". The demonstration commemorated the popular revolution that overthrew, in April the 25th 1974, the fascist dictatorship of Oliveira Salazar, giving place to democracy. In 2012 the holiday was marked by protests against further austerity policies and loss of sovereignty in internal decision making to foreign creditors.

An elderly woman sits knitting outside a supermarket. She is part of a group who spends their days attempting to sell small handmade embroidery and begging for small change in an attempt to make ends meet. Pensioners have seen their pensions progressively cut and their expenses increased with rising taxation over food and electricity, forcing them to find, during their "golden years", new ways to complement already meager pensions after a lifetime of working, saving and contributing to public retirement funds.

Women sell second hand cloths and other objects in the street in Lisbon in what is known as the "thieves' market", an increasingly popular spot for selling second hand objects in the center of Lisbon. With wage cuts, unemployment and increased expenses with rising taxation over food and electricity, growing numbers of people resort to alternative ways to complement meager incomes. Registered unemployment among active population reached 18% in 2013 and according to the latest numbers, the percentage of youth unemployment among the Portuguese population reached 42% in 2013. 

A commercial airplane flies over Lisbon. After Ireland and Greece, Portugal became the third country, among others to follow, which sought help from an international bailout fund. Austerity policies demanded by foreign creditors have since then resulted in staggering unemployment, rising taxes, economic depression, unprecedented poverty and emigration levels only comparable to those during Oliveira Salazar's fascist dictatorship years.

Two residents are seen in the impoverished central Lisbon neighborhood of Alcantara next to a former residential building, now sealed.

Mother and daughter sell, in their home's lounge, grain, potatoes, onions and other goods grown in their vegetable garden. Pensioners have seen their pensions progressively cut and their expenses increased as a result of rising taxes over food and electricity. This has forced them to find alternative ways to complement already meager pensions after a lifetime of working, saving and contributing to public retirement funds.

Men watch football at a café in Lisbon. Austerity policies and budget cuts have caused rising numbers of unemployed and cuts in pensions. Registered unemployment among active population reached 18% in 2013.

A woman looks at a vitrine of a pastry shop in Christmas at the northern Portuguese city of Vila Real. 

In the still deeply religious Portuguese northern town of Vila Real people attend Christmas mass in the year of 2012. The following year of 2013 was announced by the government has one of further austerity in an already stagnant economy that was quickly slipping down into a deep depression.

A man is seen passing by a graffiti depicting Portugal and Greece's flags asking what are the differences between the two. The graffiti was made after Portuguese government officials' distanced from E.U. partner Greece and by the government's "lack of solidarity and arrogant attitude towards Greece".

Construction work at one of Lisbon's most iconic and popular squares 'Terreiro do Paço'. The construction work is taking place at what was previously public space, now destined for several high end gourmet cafés for tourists, that the locals cannot afford, thus making it symbol of a country unaffordable to its own population.

A man drinks in a typical local tavern in downtown Lisbon. The century old tavern serving "ginginha" is a survival case among thousands of bankrupting small businesses in downtown Lisbon and Portugal in general. An increase from 13% to 23% on VAT in food and beverages sectors implemented by the government to collect further taxes, is estimated to have resulted in the bankrupcy of forty thousand companies - restaurants and cafés - and in the direct loss of around one hundred thousand jobs, also causing a snowball effect of large scale unemployment reflected in other related sectors. The tavern is a popular point for traditional local quality liquor sold in affordable small portions to turists but mostly to workers, unemployed, immigrants and homeless who roam around the tavern while killing time, chatting or waiting for charity food distribution vans.

Makeshift homes are seen in the port area of central Lisbon.

Demonstrators march in downtown Lisbon around the Finance Ministry headquarters during a nation wide strike against further austerity policies applied to an already deeply depressed economy, against loss of sovereignty and internal decision making to foreign creditors' commands. Protesters demand that the Portuguese government consults with it's constituency rather than with creditors, markets, private enterprise or lobbies.

David Martins stands in his shoe repair workshop. Mr. Martins started working at eight years old on October the 5th, the anniversary of the Implementation of the Republic after the overthrow of monarchic rule. At the time of Mr. Martins' first working day, still a child, the date was a normal business day. The date would later be established as a national holiday, one of the most important ones to be celebrated, rejecting absolutism and celebrating democracy. In 2013 the date will no longer be a holiday once again, as a government measure to cut deficit by reducing public holidays. Mr. Martins, now 78, earns a pension of a couple hundred euros which doesn't allow him to stop working. For him, who since his eight years old never stopped working, this is a circle that now closes, back to days when the date was a normal labour day with no celebrations of revolution, popular sovereignty or democracy and when nothing was illegal, not even child labor, in face of rising capitalism. 

A graffiti in the entrance of Lisbon's metro calls for a general strike.

Yougsters in an impoverished neighbourhood in the center of Lisbon show off dogs. According to the latest numbers, the percentage of youth unemployment among the Portuguese population reached 42% in 2013.

People wait in a public health clinic. Reports indicate that the affluence of people to healthcare facilities has decreased since the state started charging 5euros per visit to the clinics and 20 to hospitals as a measure included in the austerity programs demanded by foreign creditors. With  meager salaries, for many, the increase is unaffordable.

A man passes by a graffiti in Lisbon calling for a general nation wide strike.  

A homeless man sleeps at an indoors cash machine booth in downtown Lisbon.

Graffiti calls for a general nation wide strike. A smaller sized graffiti expresses, in vernacular language, rejection over further economic sacrifices demanded to the Portuguese people. Another writes "in their pockets lay your sacrifices". Several other smaller graffiti name the names of those the author refers to in the last quote.

Manuel António Fernandes (b.28 Jun 1956), civil construction commercial, unemployed for 4 years, eats a meal in a church charity soup kitchen. Says he dreams of having a job. The most vulnerable sectors of the Portuguese population now rely, more than ever in recent times, on civil society solidarity as the sole means of survival. 

A man shows two liquid yoghurts and two sandwiches given to him by a charity food van. This is was his only meal that day.

A man sleeps in downtown Lisbon.

A man holds a protest sign while attending a demonstration in Lisbon during a nationwide general strike against austerity measures and the government's management of the economic crisis. 

Cardboards form the living premises of a homeless person in Lisbon.

People demonstrate in the anniversary of the revolution that overthrew Oliveira Salazar's fascist dictatorship, one of the world's longest dictatorial regimes. The anniversary has taken deeper meaning as many see the present constraints imposed by foreign creditors, and applied by the government, as a historic comeback of a sate of affairs where the state is as not representing the will of it´s citizens.

José is seen among his belongings at the port area of Lisbon. José, an army veteran, is one of the longest know homeless persons in the streets of Lisbon. José usually cries when asked how he is doing and about his past.

Manuel shows a photograph of him and his dog Diana. Manuel has lived in precarious conditions, roaming between the streets of Lisbon and his family´s home. Manuel is often given a meal by charity distribution vans.

A man passes by Mário, homeless, and his dog Thomas in downtown Lisbon.

Homeless people take shelter and sleep in benches through the whole length of the main tunnel in one of Lisbon's main train stations.

A demonstrator marches with a torch during a demontration against austerity measures during Portugal's economic crisis.

People protest outside the Portuguese parliament in Lisbon against austerity, further government cuts, large scale public sector privatization and layoffs, and increasing taxation over food and utilities.

Demonstrators remove pavement stones from the Portuguese parliament's premisses to be thrown during protests in a nation wide strike against further austerity policies applied to an already deeply depressed economy, against loss of sovereignty and internal decision making to foreign creditors' commands. Protesters demand that the Portuguese government consults with it's constituency rather than with creditors, markets, private enterprise or lobbies.

A protester throws stones at Portuguese parliament guarded by riot police in front of the Portuguese parliament during a demonstration against further austerity to be implemented by

the government. Portugal is known by it's peaceful revolution that overthrew the fascist dictatorship of Oliveira Salazar in 1974. However, unprecedented confrontations caused by anger and helplessness is starting to arise in a country where where such scenes are rare.

Riot police stand in front of the Portuguese parliament as protesters throws stones during a demonstration against further austerity to be implemented by the government. Portugal is known by it's peaceful revolution that overthrew the fascist dictatorship of Oliveira Salazar in 1974. However, unprecedented confrontations caused by anger and helplessness started to become less rare in a country where where such scenes are rare.

A meal is prepared by a church charity worker in a soup kitchen in Vila Real, a small city in Northern Portugal. In the recent years people who resort to charity have not only increased but are comprised by not only the homeless, but by families with low income, unemployed, precarious workers and students.

A man shows a meal ration card in a church charity soup kitchen with the dates in which the food ration was re-assessed. The most vulnerable sectors of the Portuguese population now rely, more than ever in recent times, on civil society solidarity as the sole means of survival. The number of people who resort to charities for food has not only increased but is comprised by not only the homeless, but by families with low income, unemployed, precarious workers and students. 

People wait in line behind a charity food distribution van to receive sandwiches, yogurt and milk. In the recent years people who resort to charity have not only increased but are comprised by not only the homeless, but by families with low income, unemployed, precarious workers and students who's daily meal is sometimes just the one received from the charities' vans. 

Cardboards form the living premises of a homeless person in Lisbon.