POVERTY

Children living in poverty [are those who] experience deprivation of the material, spiritual and emotional resources needed to survive, develop and thrive, leaving them unable to enjoy their rights, achieve their full

potential or participate as full and equal members of society (UNICEF, child poverty p.12)

Growing up in a developing country as ours was not so dramatic but the oneness and contentment of my family made us feel like there was no lack.

The importance of early exposure to programs that will enhance learning between the age of 2 and 6 is so enormous that a child (children) who is deprived of any kind of program has really lost a lifetime opportunity of guided development. 

I did not have the opportunity of a Head-start, a Preschool or a Nursery school. Only the very well to do could afford that frivolous waste as at then, to enroll a child that is less than 6years of age in a school. 

Our public schools only began from 1st grade, so until then, we only have to stay at home and play while mum and dad were off to earn a living. While at home, we faced lack, hunger and danger of maltreatment by those who looked after us. There was no real good school start because in the real sense of it we were left by ourselves, the supposed caregiver, who were usually deprived young adult who had found an opportunity to come into the city had her eppetite for expolration to accomplish and so we were left by ourselves (after all, they were not paid). the greatest terror was that we were warned by this caregiver never to disclose her antecedent. What did you expect, we were compliant. Dad and mum would be gone in the morning so if you do not want to make your next day(s) miserable then you would not report the issue.

My sibblings and I kept quiet and endured all the childhood maltreatment. We were happy and proud that our parents were working and enrolled us in primary public schools when it was time.

Looking back now, I see lots of lost opportunities and rights of  childhood that was necessitated due to lack (poverty). I was not alone, this was the case of several children as at when I experienced this and even now that knowledge has spread wider, some children yet experience this.

Poverty is defined as the lack of resources and capabilities that prevent people from living a

decent and independent life. Poverty distresses all groups – age, ethnic, and religious - and these groups share many of causes and effects of poverty. But “for children, there may be additional important consequences, such as having to drop out of school, missing out on critical health care, or being stigmatized by their peers for wearing old or torn clothing” (CHIP, 2004: pg. 1).

Furthermore, children are likely to suffer permanent consequences from not having access to basic social services and family resources. Adults, on the other hand, indeed suffer from the ills of poverty, but the

impact may not be as permanent as with children. “Children cannot reverse stunting. They cannot recover from preventable disabilities. Nor can they reclaim those 15 valuable years of growth and development

later in life” (UNDP, 2004: pg. 3).

The for me now is how can poverty be eradicated. how can children have access to all that they require to give them access to all the rights of a child to basic needs that encourage healthy start?

Similarly, UNICEF’s State of the Children 2005 points out that child poverty is lowest in countries where women make up a high percentage of the labor force. “Higher employment rates among women (including

those who are single parents) have contributed to reducing child poverty in the 1990s in a number of OECD countries” (UNICEF, 2005b: pg. 31). Pursuing anti-poverty strategies that provide economic empowerment to women may be a policy to help reduce child poverty.

Child poverty: hardly an issue in France

In France, child poverty is an issue that is rarely addressed by social policies or academic research,

and does not even figure very highly on the agendas of charities or other such associations. Although

it was an extremely topical subject in the 19th century, the development of family-targeted policies

between the two World Wars and their implementation post 1945 meant that the issue was largely

dropped. It was not lack of political will that caused the issue of child poverty to be put to one side; on

the contrary, it was because the considerable state intervention in relation to children was aimed at

protecting vulnerable children who were victims of their parents, neighbors, friends of the family,

prowlers and so. The child targeted by social policy was abandoned, or mistreated, subject to violence

or even, particularly in recent years, when this has become a recurring theme, subject to sexual

abuse (Tarki Hu).

Some factors are responsible to ensuring that child poverty is hardly an issue in France.

 The factors includes and exceeds:

1.  Policy on family size and structure.

2.  Parental employment.

3.  Decent and proper Housing

4.  Accessibility to Health care.  ( Tarki Hu)

RESOURCES:

Child poverty and child-well being in the European Union

http://www.tarki.hu/en/research/childpoverty/case_studies/childpoverty_france.pdf

Child poverty and child-well being in the European Union

http://www.tarki.hu/en/research/childpoverty/case_studies/childpoverty_italy.pdf

Child poverty and child-well being in the European Union

http://www.unicef.org/policyanalysis/files/child_poverty_final_draft_4_05.pdf