According to a report by Save the Children, the number of children at risk of poverty in Europe reached 19.6 million in 2021 after an increase of 200,000.
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In a recent report, Save the Children, a non-governmental international organization on child welfare, said that nearly 20 million children are living in poverty in EU countries.
The report further states that one in four children in Europe is affected by poverty and that the rise in spending on basic necessities and the Covid-19 pandemic are two of the main reasons for this rise in poverty. Regarding Germany in particular, this report says that in 2021, more than two million children were living in poverty.
Eric Grosshouse, Advocacy Manager for Child Poverty and Social Inequality, said the figures on the increase in poverty were “very disturbing”. “One in five children in Germany is in poverty and there can be no more excuses,” he says. Eric Grosshaus urged the German government to fulfill its promise to end child poverty.
According to Save the Children’s report, the highest rates of children at risk of poverty and social exclusion among EU countries were found in Romania, followed by Spain, at 41.5 percent and 33.4 percent, respectively. In Germany, the rate was 23.5 percent, which is slightly lower than the average rate in Europe. Finland has the lowest rate of child poverty at 13.2 percent, followed by Denmark at 14 percent.
Based on the data provided by the fourteen European Union countries between October and December last year, the aid agencies say that the situation is worse due to the increase in the prices of essential goods as a result of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. and the poor and the middle class have been particularly affected by it.
Refugees, refugees, asylum-seeking children and those who are undocumented or unaccompanied are the most affected by this situation, Save the Children’s report said. Also at risk of poverty are children who live with one of their parents, whose families are large and not financially stable, who are disabled or who belong to an ethnic minority. .
Ylva Sperling, European director of Save the Children, says that no child should go to school hungry, live in a house without heating or worry about their parents’ employment, “but still in Europe Due to multiple crises, many families are now deprived of food, home heating and many children lack the basic necessities needed to grow and live a good life.”
Bold decisions and strategic funding are needed now to accelerate child protection and reduce the impact of Europe’s multiple crises on current and future generations, he said.
