Complex disparity

Spain, for the first time, tops the European statistics on the risk of poverty for its youngest citizens. 27.85% of children and teenagers in our country are at risk of poverty, living in households whose income is well below the average. And almost one in three (32.2%) are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, where material deprivation or unemployment combine with low income. Child poverty is well above poverty in the population as a whole and has stayed at rates we cannot be proud of for far too long.

For a child, being in poverty in a country like ours does not just mean going without certain expenses; it puts their rights at risk. Poverty means poorer nutrition and health, which in turn compromises physical and mental development. It is also strongly associated with lower educational attainment, lower income in adulthood and lower satisfaction with their own lives.

But as well as a violation of individual rights, child poverty has an enormous economic and social cost. A study by the High Commissioner estimates at 63 billion a year the cost of not having addressed these situations in the past. In other words, child poverty is not only a violation of rights, it also calls into question economic and social sustainability in the medium and long term. Leaving such a large group of the population out of economic and social progress at a key moment in their development, or having children increase a family’s risk of being in poverty, is neither fair nor smart.

For UNICEF, the fight against poverty and for investment in children is a priority all over the world. In Spain too. We face an enormous challenge with child poverty and support for parenting, an area in which many neighbouring countries have made much more progress. For example, with generous benefit policies, guaranteed access to key services (education from 0 to 3), easier work-life balance or bringing children’s voices into public debate. UNICEF Spain works to promote better public policies for the social protection of children, focusing on the children who need it most.