EASTERN EUROPE, CENTRAL ASIA SEE 19% RISE IN CHILD POVERTY AMID UKRAINE WAR -UNICEF

Mon 17 October 2022:

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), child poverty has increased by 19% in Eastern Europe and Central Asia as a result of the Ukraine crisis and the skyrocketing living costs it has caused.

The report stated that”The war in Ukraine and rising inflation have driven an additional four million children across eastern Europe and Central Asia into poverty, a 19 per cent increase since 2021.”

Despite making up 25% of the population, children account for nearly 40% of the 10.4 million additional people who live in poverty this year, according to UNICEF. The organization added that 2.8 million additional children live in poverty in Russia, 500,000 children reside in Ukraine, and 110,000 children live in poverty in Romania.

“Beyond the obvious horrors of war – the killing and maiming of children, mass displacement – the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine are having a devastating impact on children across eastern Europe and Central Asia,” UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Afshan Khan said.

According to UNICEF, the ripple effects of growing child poverty can lead to another 4,500 children dying before they celebrate their first birthdays, and 117,000 children dropping out of school this year alone.

Since the beginning of the year, Europe has been facing accelerating inflation, caused in part by Western sanctions against Russia over its special military operation in Ukraine. The prices of basic goods such as food and fuel have skyrocketed, reducing household budgets for other needs such as healthcare and education, exposing the poorest children to the risk of violence, exploitation and abuse.

To cope with the crisis, many governments have cut public spending, raised taxes, and added austerity measures to heal their economies, the report said.

“Austerity measures will hurt children most of all – plunging even more children into poverty and making it harder for families who are already struggling,” Khan added.

UNICEF urged the international community to support social protection programs for struggling families with children and to strengthen social protection systems in high- and middle-income Eastern European and Central Asian nations.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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