Europe not doing enough to fight child poverty

The objective of tackling child poverty has been put on the backburner at a time of austerity and many social safeguards are being sacrificed as a result - warns policy analyst According to a recent report, more than 13 million children are living in poverty in Europe - including Norway and Iceland. Furthermore, a child in Europe has a greater risk of living in poverty than the rest of the population – 27 per cent versus 23 per cent. As the whole population is threatened by persisting unfavourable labour market conditions, accompanied by a decrease in social protection expenditure and a rise in material deprivation, we believe that the situation of children in Europe is a genuine and urgent concern. Child poverty has increased in a number of countries following the recent financial and economic crisis. This is confirmed by European Commission data, which reveals that the risk of poverty or social exclusion for children increased by 0.9 per cent between 2008 and 2010. According to the research, children most at risk are from single parent households and large families - three children and more. Others at risk include children from jobless households or with parents experiencing 'in-work poverty', children with a disability and those from a migrant background as well as ethnic minorities. These trends remind us that usually, children are not poor by themselves. They will struggle to develop or fully participate in society when their family is not supported and is excluded from society. This means that support for them must primarily come from direct support to the family, including financial support such as adequate child allowance for every child and an adequate minimum income for all. One way of preventing child and family poverty is through access to quality and affordable social services ensuring children and families can fully participate in society. However, providers of social and healthcare services attest to an overall increase in the demand for social services and deceasing funds with which to provide them. Cuts that we are seeing today in social services are short-sighted and self-defeating, and adequate funding must be made available to provide these services. Austerity measures and consequent cuts in public spending should not be at the cost of the most vulnerable children and families in our society as it will only lead to more vulnerable people tomorrow. Given the multi-dimensional and interrelated nature of child poverty we need to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty which can only happen through an integrated and holistic policy approach. This means mainstreaming child and family friendly policies in education, health, housing and employment. Furthermore, child well-being is more than just about meeting material needs; children also have social, emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual needs. In Iceland for example, you may not see children living on the street but there are families where parents cannot afford for their children to participate in extra-curricular activities or to go on holiday. Lack of participation and unequal opportunities at an early age can lead to exclusion and can foster an intergenerational poverty cycle. For this reason, services such as high-quality after-school programmes, youth clubs and community work must be supported and invested in. In terms of the commission's upcoming 'recommendation on child Poverty and wellbeing' - to be published at the beginning of 2013 - it will bring the necessary political momentum and will set in stone the objective of tackling child poverty at a time of austerity, and when many social safeguards are being sacrificed. Such a European initiative will also contribute to reaching three out of five of the Europe 2020 targets for employment, education and poverty; and constitutes an investment by strengthening social cohesion, particularly important in the context of significant demographic challenges. However a recommendation in itself is not enough to tackle child poverty and social exclusion. The member states must respond with real commitment and put words into action. Putting child poverty high on the agenda is decisive at the European Union level, not only as a means of protecting vulnerable children today but also an investment for tomorrow as we break the cycle of poverty and increase the social return on investment for society. Research shows that the cost of non-inclusion is higher than that of inclusion, and that not investing in the most vulnerable has far-reaching consequences for society as a whole. There is simply no excuse for children living in poverty in today's Europe; it is a question of respecting rights to which all children are entitled. If not addressed through social and health services, child poverty and social exclusion will bear a human cost in terms of lost potential and wellbeing.