By Fewer than one in 10 children in low-income countries have access to child benefits, leaving them vulnerable to disease, education gaps, and poverty.
Worldwide, 1.4 billion children aged under 16 lack any form of social protection, leaving them vulnerable to disease, poor nutrition and poverty, according to data released Wednesday by two UN agencies and the British charity Save the Children.
The data was compiled by the International Labor Organization (ILO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Save the Children.
In low-income countries, fewer than one in 10 children have access to child benefits, highlighting a significant disparity compared to coverage enjoyed by children in high-income countries.
“Globally, there are 333 million children living in extreme poverty, struggling to survive on less than $2.15 per day, and nearly one billion children living in multidimensional poverty,” said Natalia Winder Rossi, Global Director of Social Policy and Social Protection at UNICEF.
“At the current rate of progress, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals’ poverty targets are out of reach. This is unacceptable,” she said.
Rossi said ending child poverty is a policy choice made by governments.
Expanding social protection coverage of children in the fight against poverty is critical, including the progressive realisation of universal child benefits, she said.
The groups said child benefits are a vital social protection intended to promote children’s long-term well-being.
