The coronavirus pandemic and the related containment measures have pushed 150 million more children into poverty, according to an analysis by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Save the Children, released on Thursday.
Since the start of the epidemic, a 15% increase in children living in poverty in low- and middle-income countries has been observed, bringing the number of minors concerned to 1.2 billion, according to organizations.
Their study points out that the world’s poorest children are getting even poorer, and that their situation is likely to deteriorate further in the coming months.
“Families on the verge of escaping poverty have been pulled back, while others experience levels of poverty never seen before,” warns Henrietta Fore, executive director of UNICEF in a press release. “The most worrying thing is that we are only at the beginning of this crisis and not at the end.”
UNICEF and Save the Children are calling on governments to rapidly expand social protection systems, access to healthcare and distance learning opportunities.
“Children who lack access to education are more exposed to forced labor, early marriage, and trapped in the cycle of poverty in the years to come”, also warns the executive director of Save the Children, Inger Ashing.
The analysis looked at data from over 70 countries in terms of children’s access to education, health care, housing, food, sanitation and water infrastructure.
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