Three out of every 4 children lack social protection, stalled by the pandemic

Almost three out of four children in the world (73.6%) are outside social protection services, and this percentage, calculated at the beginning of the pandemic (2020), is even higher than that of four years earlier, when it was from 72.8%, warns a United Nations report published today.

The joint study by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) concludes that 1,460 of the 2,000 million children under the age of 15 do not have access to this type of support, commonly offered in the form of of “child benefits”.

This means 50 million more children without benefits in 2020 than in 2016, when these “they can be vital for families facing economic hardship, food insecurity, conflict and climate-related disasters.” highlighted the director of Social Policy of the ILO, Natalia Winder-Rossi.

ALMOST TOTAL PROTECTION ONLY IN THE WEST

The situation varies enormously by region, with high protection only in Europe (96% of those under 15 years of age) and North America (94%), regions where, however, the rate dropped a few tenths between 2016 and 2020, while in Africa it is only 12.6%, an even lower percentage, 10.5%, in the sub-Saharan region of that continent.

In Asia-Pacific it is 18%, although it is the only region in the world where the rate rose, even slightly, in four years (it was 17.4% in 2016), while in Latin America the drop has been very pronounced: from a rate of 50.7% in 2016 fell to 41.5% in 2020.

“When they do not receive adequate social protection, boys and girls are more exposed to poverty, disease, lack of schooling and malnutrition, being more likely to fall into the networks of early marriage and child labor”warns the ILO when publishing the report.

He recalls that 356 million children (almost one in six) live in extreme poverty (less than 1.9 dollars a day) and up to 1 billion suffer “multidimensional poverty”, defined by the UN as one in which there is a lack of access to one or several basic services (education, health, housing, nutrition, toilets, drinking water).

It is estimated that the number of children living in multidimensional poverty increased by 15% during the COVID-19 pandemic, marking a setback in progress towards reducing child poverty.

HALF OF THE POOR ARE CHILDREN

Minors, recall ILO and UNICEF, are twice as likely to live in extreme poverty than adults, and in fact constitute half of the poor people on the planet, despite being only 30% of the global population.

The report recommends that countries invest in benefits for dependent children, which also help connect families with other social and health services that include free health care for children, with special protection for girls, migrant minors and victims of exploitation.

“An adequate investment in universal social protection for children (…) is an ethical and rational decision, and sets us on the right path towards sustainable development and social justice”summed up the director of the Department of Social Protection of the ILO, Shahra Razavi.

The report highlights that an annual expenditure of 1 percent of GDP on social programs such as benefits for dependent children can reduce the poverty of the population in middle-income countries by 20%, and the percentage for those under 15 years of age. it may be even higher.

SYMPTOM OF A WIDER UNPROTECTION

The lack of social protection for children is only part of a global problem that affects many other groups: 2.7 billion people lack access to health insurance, and 1.7 billion workers are not protected by aid in the event of falling ill.

In addition, 164 million elderly people do not receive pensions, and 71 million mothers of newborns, 150 million disabled people and 179 million unemployed are also outside any system of social protection and benefits, according to ILO figures.

Source: EFE