28/10/2014

Child Poverty Increases In Ireland

A new study has found that child poverty in Ireland has increased.

The research from UNICEF looked at the impact the recession has had on children in developed countries. Of those countries, children in Ireland near the bottom of the list, at 37th place.

Those listed below the country, are Croatia, Latvia, Greece and Iceland.

The report found that families in Ireland have lost the equivalent of 10 years of income progress as a result of the economic crisis, with the child poverty rate surging from 10%, to 28.6% between 2008 and 2012.

In terms of a net increase, this is more than 130,000 poor children in Ireland.

Elsewhere, poverty among the older generation has risen by 2.5% during the same period.

UNICEF Ireland Executive Director Peter Power said: "Countries should place the well-being of children at the top of their priorities during economic recessions.

"Not only is this a moral obligation, but it is in the long term self-interest of societies.

"Children living in poverty are more likely to become impoverished adults and have poor children, creating and sustaining intergenerational cycles of poverty."

(JP/IT)

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