CHILD PROVERTY AN ANALYSIS Child poverty is one of the alarming issues that torment the world economy today.

. It can very well be termed as the curse of humanity. The surprising fact is that most of the countries that top the list of economic welfare seriously lag behind in the case of welfare of children. Child poverty issue thus becomes a matter of universal concern, which must given apt priority by any nation, irrespective of its economic welfare and social standing. Experts say that the true social standing of a nation can only judged by the way the children are treated in that nation. Their safety and security, the educational rights and facilities that they enjoy and the love and care they are exposed to in the families where they are born and in the society, where they live. Thus, safeguarding the rights of the children and bestowing on them the best of facilities become the paramount duty of any nation. But the reality in today s world stands just the opposite and poses a serious threat to the welfare of the children. !et us ta"e a loo" into some of the reliable findings of child poverty throughout the world. #$ million children in the rich nations are below the poverty line. If presented in exact numbers, one out of every six children is below the poverty line. The poverty rate of children in the world s wealthiest nations range from % to &' percent The world s economic superpowers such as (nited )tates, (nited *ingdom, +rance, ,ortugal etc occupy the least place in the table that signify child safety and security. The richest nations of the world were of the view that by merely boosting up the economy, they can erase the line of poverty and increase the bargaining power of each citi-en. But their calculation seriously went wrong. .espite the multiple rise in the economic standards of the rich nations in the past few years, nothing has actually changed in the lives of poor children. This made the sociologists and anthropologists to analy-e the causes of child poverty from different angles, i.e., from the point of view of their individual families and specific social setting. There are a great number of reasons associated with child poverty. !et us loo" into a few major causes that build the foundation for child poverty in many nations across the globe.

Child Labor / Child poverty is prominent in households wherein there is not adult at wor". In most of the countries, the concept of child labor still flourishes. Children are forced to earn in order to contribute towards the general maintenance of the family. +amilies that do not have adults to care for family welfare are commonly the breeding places of child poverty. Lone-parenting / .ivided families contribute the maximum to child poverty. )tudies prove that a child re0uires both the parents to ensure its well being and ade0uate growth. Children with lone1parent is more subjected to the ris" of being poor than the children with both the parents. )tatistics reveal that children with lone1parent are2 3 ' times more li"ely to live in poverty 3 4 times more li"ely to drop out of school 3 %$5 more li"ely to abuse drugs 3 & times more li"ely to be incarcerated 3 &.' times more li"ely to become a teen parent 3 &6 times more li"ely to have behavioral disorders 3 %& times more li"ely to run away Thus improper parenting is a serious cause for child poverty. Lo in!o"e #a"ilie$ / Children do not decide their families. 7ence, they can not be

victimi-ed for the poverty of the family. )tudies reveal that child poverty is rampant in families, wherein the full time wor"ers earn less than the nation median wage. They struggle hard to ma"e the ends meet. 7ence, their children are deprived of 0uality education and standard living. They do not enjoy the basic standards of living, when compared to their peers. This can be viewed as a flaw in the economic planning of a nation. +or it is the e0ual right of every employee to get standardi-ed wages that stands at par with the wor" that he8she puts in. High Cri"e Rate / This is yet another contributing factor towards child poverty. The crime rates in certain communities are extremely high that if directly affects the well1 being of the children. +amilies, wherein the father is imprisoned, are without ade0uate care and earning. In such families, the safety and security of the children is highly endangered. Di$!ri"ination$ / It is an important factor that amounts to the maximum percentage of child poverty in most of the nations. The archaic beliefs based on caste, creed, language and race have serious repercussions on the welfare of the children. )taunch

beliefs such as these directly affect the growth prospects of the children of specific communities and ma"e them permanently stay under the shadow of poverty. 9ll these above stated reasons ma"e evident that the any attempt to wipe away child poverty would result in a revolution in the economic and social order of a nation. Even the richest countries of the world today reali-e that they are no closer to the emancipation of children with the current policies. The entire roots of the nations must be revitali-ed to put this issue to an end. +or instance, (nited *ingdom targets to end child poverty by &6&6. But the experts within the nation are of the view that the entire method of taxation and wage benefits must change in order to enhance the average income of families, which in turn would ensure better living conditions for the children. +urther, an economic analysis reveals that it would cost a nation a lot to revive the current policies and bring a new order in place to end child poverty. Thus, it is evident that an absolute solution to child poverty is not around the corner. In that above mentioned state of affairs related to child poverty, the presence and functions of (:ICE+ prove to be a consolation for the children around the globe. %NICE&' (:ICE+ was established by the (nited :ations ;eneral 9ssembly in the year <4#= to care for the welfare and rights of children in the nations that are hit hard by >orld >ar II. Today the organi-ation has spread its role across the globe and has established itself as the custodian children welfare and their rights. The organi-ation, after being incorporated as the permanent part of (nited :ations ?rgani-ation in the year <4'%, has stamped its presence through extensive helps and sponsors in more then <46 countries in the world. UNICEF / (nited :ations International Children s Emergency +und / as the renowned acronym stands is seriously committed to the cause of child welfare and rights. UNICEF established a research center, titled, (:ICE+ Innocenti @esearch Center in +lorance, Italy in order to dwell elaborately into the causes of Child poverty and to advocate recommendations for their welfare. The aim of the center is to create an universal understanding of issues related to children and their needs, to promote policies that would advance the state of the children and to ensure proper implementation of child rights in the countries. The organi-ation, aided by the research statistics of the institute, mobili-es funds through various means to establish the rights of the children. )ports, Television, ,rint Aedia and Internet are the sources through which (:ICE+ brings to light the

plight of the children to the world and see"s their contribution in return to alleviate the sufferings of the children. The history of this organi-ation would stand as a testimony for the number of nations and millions of children, who benefited through the funds that this organi-ation mobili-ed. Viable Sol(tion It is not possible for (:ICE+ to meet the demands of millions and millions of children across the globe. 7ence, there must be concrete attempts made by every nation to put this crisis to an end. In my opinion, a revival in the economic and social policies of nations would ensure that gradual depletion of poverty rates in every nation. By increase the taxation in luxurious commodities to the maximum and decreasing the taxation on basic necessities would aid the low income families to provide 0uality living conditions to their children. +urther, every nation must ensure the implementation of a standardi-ed wage chart. Common norms in terms of labor and wages would bring to an end the inhumane treatment of the laborers by the private sectors and industrial giants for meager wages. Empowering the families from the point of view of economy would pave way for secured living conditions for the children. +urther, ;overnment must also plan welfare schemes to care for the fundamental welfare of the children and their education. )tate sponsored education for the children upto an age limit would considerably reduce the burden of the families with lower income. The government also can sponsor healthcare policies for the children, constantly ensuring their physical and mental well being. Thus, a change in the rate of child poverty in a nation can not be ushered by the external forces. But every nation must commit sincerely to the cause of eradicating child poverty. The contribution of individual citi-ens plays a vital role in this process. Everyone must reali-e the importance of children and the need to provide them with the best of infrastructure. :o one can site external reasons for victimi-ing a child or depriving it of common standard of living. 7ence, the major change must happen in the attitude of people and policy ma"ers towards child poverty. The policies must be made bearing in mind the future of a nation and the invincible role of children in it. Re#eren!e$' undefined. B&66=C. Causes of Child ,overty. In AABrico.com .oors to .iplomacy >eb ,roject. @etrieved .ec <6, &6<<, from httpD88www.fightpoverty.mmbrico.com8reasons8family.html.httpD88www.jrf.org.u"8pub lications8what1will1it1ta"e1end1child1poverty

undefined. BC. Innocenti @esearch CentreD 9bout (s. In (:ICE+. @etrieved .ec <6, &6<<, from httpD88www.unicef1irc.org8aboutI@C8.httpD88www.unicef irc.org8publications8=%= :otten, ;eranda2 @oelen, *eetie2. B&6<<C. The Breadth of Child ,overty in

EuropeD 9n investigation into overlap and accumulation of deprivations. In (:ICE+. @etrieved .ec <6, &6<<, from httpD88www.unicef1irc.org8publications8=%=. ,eter 9damson. B&6<<C. Child poverty in perspectiveD 9n overview ofchild well1 beingin rich countries. In (:ICE+Innocenti @esearch Centre@eport Card $. @etrieved .ec <6, &6<<, from httpD88www.unicef.org8media8files8Child,overty@eport.pdf. Eohn >illiams. B>ednesday, Euly <&, &666C. !oo", Child ,overty in the >ealthy Countries IsnFt :ecessary. In International 7erald Tribune. @etrieved .ec <6, &6<<, from httpD88www.commondreams.org8views86$<&661<6#.htm.