Four million children plunged into poverty

UN Children’s Aid Agency UNICEF said on Monday. As a result of the conflict and ensuing inflation, the number of poor children in Eastern Europe and Central Asia has increased by 19 percent within a year.

UNICEF bases its report on data from 22 countries. The consequences of the war for children in Russia and Ukraine are therefore particularly strong. According to the report, Russia is responsible for three quarters of the increase in children living in poverty. The war has increased the number of poor children there by 2.8 million. According to UNICEF, the number of poor children in Ukraine has increased by half a million as a result of the war. In third place is Romania, where the number of children living in poverty has increased by 110,000.

“Children across the region are being involved in the horrific consequences of this war,” said Afshan Khan, UNICEF regional director. If the affected children and their families don’t get help soon, “the rapid rise in child poverty will almost certainly lead to lost lives, lost learning and lost futures.”

The poorer a family is, the higher the proportion of income they have to spend on food and fuel and the less is left for education and health care for children, UNICEF warned. Children living in poverty are also at greater risk of violence, exploitation and abuse.

The UN Children’s Aid Agency warned that the rise in child poverty this year alone could lead to 4,500 additional children dying before reaching the age of one and 117,000 children dropping out of school.

(SDA)