COVID-19 plunges additional 150 million children into poverty: UNICEF analysis

An ditional 150 million children globally have been plunged into poverty since COVID-19 pandemic hit earlier this year, taking number of children living in multi-dimensional poverty across world to approximately 1.2 billion, according to a new UNICEF analysis.

new analysis, which was done by UNICEF and child rights organisation Save Children and published on Thursday, reveals that number of children living in multi-dimensional poverty - without access to education, health, housing, nutrition, sanitation, or water - has increased by 15 per cent since start of pandemic.

This means that an ditional 150 million children have been plunged into poverty since pandemic hit earlier this year, it said.

“ number of children living in multi-dimensional poverty has soared to approximately 1.2 billion due to COVID-19 pandemic,” analysis said.

UNICEF, in a release, said that multi-dimensional poverty analysis uses data on access to education, healthcare, housing, nutrition, sanitation and water from more than 70 countries.

It highlights that around 45 per cent of children were severely deprived of at least one of se critical needs in countries analysed before pandemic.

analysis paints a dire picture alrey and UNICEF warns situation will likely worsen in months to come.

Save Children and UNICEF said y are committed to continue to monitor this evolving situation and work with governments and civil society to confront it.

t only are more children experiencing poverty than before, but poorest children are getting poorer as well report tes.

Before pandemic, aver number of severe deprivations per child was around 0.7 and it is w estimated to have increased by 15 per cent to around 0.85.

“COVID-19 and lockdown measures imposed to prevent its spre have pushed millions of children deeper into poverty,” UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said. “Families on cusp of escaping poverty have been pulled back in, while ors are experiencing levels of deprivation y have never seen before. Most concerningly, we are closer to beginning of this crisis than its end,” Fore said.

report tes that child poverty is much more than a monetary value. Although measures of monetary poverty such as household income are important, y provide only a partial view of plight of children living in poverty.

UNICEF said social protection, inclusive fiscal policies, investments in social services, and employment and labour market interventions to support families are critical to lifting children out of poverty and preventing furr devastation. This includes expanding access to quality health care and providing tools and techlogy needed for children to continue ir education remotely, and investing in family-friendly policies such as paid leave and child care. “This pandemic has alrey caused biggest global education emergency in history, and increase in poverty will make it very hard for most vulnerable children and ir families to make up for loss,” Save Children CEO Inger Ashing said.

“Children who lose out on education are more likely to be forced into child labour or early marri and be trapped in a cycle of poverty for years to come. We cant afford to let a whole generation of children become victims of this pandemic. National governments and international community must step up to soften blow,” Ashing said.

Fore said nations must act w to prevent ditional children from being deprived in basic life needs like school, medicine, food, water and shelter. “Governments must prioritise most marginalised children and ir families through rapid expansion of social protection systems including cash transfers and child benefits, remote learning opportunities, healthcare services and school feeding. Making se critical investments w can help countries to prepare for future shocks,” she said.