Why end child poverty?
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Why end child poverty?
The extent of poverty in the UK has changed dramatically.
The number of people living in poverty more than doubled between 1979 and 1999.
Since then the Government has managed to reduce the overall numbers of people living in poverty; however, almost 13 million people still live below the poverty line.
The face of poverty has also changed. Children have replaced pensioners as the most ‘at-risk’ group. There are now four million children living in poverty (27%) with even higher rates in urban areas such as London, Birmingham and Manchester.
Poverty experienced during childhood can have a profound and lasting impact on the child and their family. It often sets in motion a deepening spiral of social exclusion, creating problems with education, employment, mental and physical health and social interaction.
The Government has pledged to meet targets for reducing child poverty to match the best performing countries in Europe by 2020, but those goals are now in jeopardy ...
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