Ukraine war and inflation drag four million more children below the poverty line

UNICEF denounces a 19 percent increase in poverty rates compared to 2021 in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Some 4,500 children could die before their first year as a result of this growth

MADRID, 17 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has estimated that child poverty has increased by 19 percent in Eastern Europe and Central Asia since 2021; that is, four million more children during the last twelve months mainly due to the war in Ukraine and the increase in inflation.

In a report published this Monday on the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, UNICEF warns of a "domino effect" caused by poverty, which usually leads to "a sharp increase in school dropouts and infant mortality."

The document, which collects data from 22 countries in the region, puts children in the spotlight of the economic crisis caused by the conflict. While children make up 25 per cent of the total population, they account for about 40 per cent of the 10.4 million more people in poverty this year.

In terms of countries, Russia accounts for nearly three-quarters of the total increase in the number of children living in poverty due to the war in Ukraine and the cost-of-living crisis in the region, with 2.8 million children. more now living in households below the poverty line.

In Ukraine, the UN fund points out, there are now half a million more children living in poverty, the second largest increase, followed by Romania, with 110,000 more children in poverty.

UNICEF's Director General for Europe and Central Asia, Afshan Khan, laments that "beyond the obvious horrors of war, such as the killing and maiming of children, or mass displacement - the consequences of the war in Ukraine are having a devastating impact on children in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

"Children across the region," he adds, "are being swept away in the terrible wake of war" and if nothing is done about it, "the profound increase in child poverty will result in the loss of lives, learning and futures." ".

This increase, UNICEF warns, means that 4,500 children could die before their first birthday and 117,000 children could drop out of school this year alone, according to the study.

Furthermore, this is a very long-term crisis. One in three children born and raised in poverty, UNICEF points out, will live in the same situation their adult lives, leading to an intergenerational cycle of hardship and deprivation.

The report recommends a series of solutions to try to reduce this growth as much as possible, starting with the delivery of a "universal monetary benefit" and the increase in social aid.

In addition, UNICEF calls for the protection of social spending and the provision of health, nutritional and social care services to pregnant women, babies and young children.

"Austerity measures will hurt children the most, driving even more of them into poverty, and making it harder for families already dealing with it," adds Khan. "We have to protect and expand social support for vulnerable families before the situation gets worse."

In Spain, where one in three children is at risk of poverty or social exclusion (33.4% of the AROPE rate, 2.8 million boys and girls), the consequences of the increase in food prices and basic supplies are having an added effect in households with boys and girls, in which food and transport costs are notably increased compared to other types of households.

In homes with fewer resources, this may mean having to choose this winter, for example, between having enough food or keeping the house warm.

UNICEF Spain, together with other children's organizations such as the Childhood Platform and Save the Children, advocates the inclusion in the General State Budgets (PGE) 2023 of a universal upbringing benefit, in the form of a refundable tax deduction, much more ambitious than the measure to extend the maternity benefit (from 0 to 3 years) contained in the budgets.

These benefits, in addition to supporting parenting, would have a considerable impact on reducing child poverty and would guarantee a social protection floor for all households with children in the face of this and successive crises. Likewise, the current situation urges the need to decisively launch the State Action Plan for the implementation of the European Child Guarantee approved this summer.