Published 12:06 IST, May 28th 2020
Coronavirus pandemic could push 86 million children into poverty by the end of 2020
A joint study conducted by Save the Children and UNICEF on May 27 revealed that the economic downfall due to the COVID-19 could trigger extreme poverty.
A joint study conducted by Save the Children and UNICEF on May 27 revealed that the economic downfall due to the COVID-19 pandemic could push as many as 86 million more children into poverty by the end of 2020. The two bodies reportedly said in a statement that it would bring the total number of children affected by poverty worldwide to 672 million, a surge of 15 percent as compared to last year.
High level of the financial crisis
According to the study, nearly two-thirds of those children worldwide reside in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The study claims that the pandemic is expected to mainly occur in Europe and Central Asia, based on the estimations of World Bank and International Monetary Fund and also population data from around 100 countries. UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore reportedly said that the level of financial crisis among the families threatens to roll back years of progress in minimizing the child poverty and to leave children deprived of essential services.
Save the Children head Inger Ashing added that immediate actions should be taken to stop and curb the pandemic threat which is being faced by the poorest countries and some vulnerable children. She reportedly warned in a statement that they are highly vulnerable resulting in hunger and malnutrition, which is affecting them for their whole life. The two bodies urged the governments to rapidly extend their social security systems and school feeding to control the effects of the pandemic.
60 million people in 'extreme poverty'
Meanwhile, the World Bank chief warned on May 19 that the coronavirus pandemic and shutdown of advances economies could push 60 million people into “extreme poverty”. During a conference call, World Bank Group President David Malpass said that the unwanted development would erase much of the recent progress made in the field of poverty alleviation.
The World Bank Group (WBG) announced that its emergency operations to fight COVID-19 have reached 100 developing countries, home to 70 per cent of the world’s population. Announcing the large-scale reach, Malpass said that the World Bank Group has moved quickly and decisively to establish emergency response operations in 100 countries, with mechanisms that allow other donors to rapidly expand the programs.
(Image Credit: AP)
Updated 12:06 IST, May 28th 2020