Surge in child poverty feared due to COVID-19 crisis

Islamabad : Without urgent action to protect families from the financial hardships caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the number of children living below the national poverty line in low- and middle-income countries could reach 672 million by year-end, reveals new analysis from Save the Children and Unicef.

Nearly two-thirds of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

According to the analysis, the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic could push up to 86 million more children into the household poverty by the end of 2020, an increase of 15 per cent.

Countries across Europe and Central Asia could see the most significant increase, up to 44 per cent across the region. Latin America and the Caribbean could see a 22 per cent increase.

“The coronavirus pandemic has triggered an unprecedented socioeconomic crisis that is draining resources for families all over the world,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.

“The scale and depth of financial hardship among families threaten to roll back years of progress in reducing child poverty and to leave children deprived of essential services. Without concerted action, families barely getting by could be pushed into poverty, and the poorest families could face levels of deprivation that have not been seen for decades.”

Save the Children and Unicef warned that the impact of the global economic crisis caused by the pandemic and related containment policies was two-fold.

According to them, immediate loss of income means families are less able to afford the basics, including food and water, less likely to access health care or education, and more at risk of child marriage, violence, exploitation, and abuse. When fiscal contraction occurs, the reach and quality of the services families depend on can also be diminished.

For the poorest families, lack of access to social care services or compensatory measures further limits their ability to abide by containment and physical distancing measures, and thus further increases their exposure to infection.

“The shocking poverty impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic will hit children hard. Children are highly vulnerable to even short periods of hunger and malnutrition—potentially affecting them for their whole life. If we act now and decisively, we can prevent and contain the pandemic threat facing the poorest countries and some of the most vulnerable children. This report should be a wake-up call for the world. Poverty is not inevitable for children,” said Save the Children International CEO Inger Ashing.

Save the Children and UNICEF said before the COVID-19 pandemic, two-thirds of children worldwide did not have access to any form of social protection, making it impossible for families to withstand financial shocks when they hit and furthering the vicious cycle of intergenerational poverty. Only 16 per cent of children in Africa are covered by social protection.

Hundreds of millions of children remain multi-dimensionally poor—meaning they lack access to health care, education, proper nutrition, or adequate housing—often a reflection of inequitable investments by governments in social services.

According to them, for children living in countries already affected by conflict and violence, the impact of this crisis will further increase the risk of instability and of households falling into poverty.

The Middle East and North Africa region, home to the the highest number of children in need due to conflict, has the highest the unemployment rate among young people, while nearly half of all children in the region live in multidimensional poverty.

To address and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 crisis on children in poor households, Save the Children and UNICEF called for rapid and large-scale expansion of social protection systems and programmes including cash transfers, school feeding, and child benefits – all critical investments that address immediate financial needs and lay the foundation for countries to prepare for future shocks.

They also asked governments to invest in other forms of social protection, fiscal policies, employment and labour market interventions to support families. This includes expanding universal access to quality healthcare and other services; and investing in family-friendly policies, such as paid leave and childcare.