More than 600,000 children fell into poverty last year, says new UCA report
New report from the Catholic University of Argentina (UCA) has concluded that an additional 600,000 children under the age of 17 fell into poverty in 2018, pushing the child poverty rate up by four points to 41.2 percent.
The new multi-dimensional study, which measures poverty by income and “rights deficiencies” – such as access to food, healthcare and education – estimated that in the third quarter of 2018, 63.4 percent of children and adolescents were deprived of at least one right, while 51.7 percent lived in households with insufficient income.
According to the report, Poverty, rights and childhoods in Argentina (2010-2018), prepared by the specialists Ianina Tuñón and Santiago Poy, 41.2 percent of children were affected by bothalacko finco mea ndalack of at least one right last year, a figure that represents some 4.7 million young people in total.
Comparatively, at the end of 2017, the previous year, that figure stood at 37.1 percent, according to UCA’s specialists. Then there were 4.1 million children in poverty, out of a total of 11.8 million children aged under 17.
A recent UCA report concluded that in terms of the whole population – adults and children – the poverty rate is 31.3 percent.
Meanwhile, extreme poverty among children rose by one point in ayear, UCA concluded, rising from 4.1 percent to 5.1 perc en tatt he en dof2018.T oda y,t he reare mor et han 590,000 children considered destitute in Argentina, according to the data.
The increase is the largest since 2010, when UCA began measuring poverty in urban areas.
The most widespread problem washousing,eit her dueto alack of a home or living in an inadequate one, affecting 29.5 percent of children under 17. That was followed by sanitation (23.7 percent), healthcare (22.4 percent) and food (11.2 percent).
Argentina is currently experiencing asevere economic crisis andrecess ion. Inflation reached47.6per cent in 2018 and prices have risen by 54.7 percent over the last 12 months.