CHILDREN IN POVERTY

Children in Poverty

Children in Poverty

Introduction

Children in poverty, is a phenomenon that is commonly known as 'Child Poverty'. It is applicable to those children who are orphans and are being up brought in the midst of inadequate, or in few situations missing, state resources or those children who belong to families that are poor. A child, who falls short of meeting the minimum satisfactory life standards in the country he/she is living in, is said to be poor. These minimum satisfactory life standards, in developing countries, are inferior when pooled with the elevated number of orphans the consequences are much severe. This paper discusses the child welfare issue (i.e., Children in Poverty) in a holistic context. The paper briefly discusses the nature, scope and effects (on children/youth) of the problem.

Discussion and Analysis

As per the definition given by UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), children living in poverty are defined as 'those who experience deprivation of the emotional, material and spiritual resources needed to thrive, survive and develop, leaving them unable to enjoy their rights, achieve their full potential or participate as equal and full members of society' (UNICEF, 2005, Pp. 6-7). It is suggested by this definition that children in poverty is a multi dimensional issue, relative to their changing and current complex interactions and living conditions of emotions, body and mind are involved.

Within the United States of America, approximately 15mn children, which is around 21% of the entire population of children, are from poor families, i.e., their income is less than the federal poverty levels, which is an yearly income of 22,350 dollars for a household with four persons. As per the results of different studies, families, on average, need incomes of around two times that level for covering the necessary expenditures. If this standard is used then it could be said that around 44% of children (See Figure 1) are currently living in families with low incomes (Seith & Kalof, 2011; Addy & Wight, 2012).

Figure 1: Children living in low-income and poor families, 2005-2010

(Source: Addy & Wight, 2012)

Majority of the parents of such children are employed, even though unstable employment and low wages leave their families in a continuous struggle for making the ends meet. The capability of children to learn could be impeded by poverty and would in turn contribute to behavioral, social and emotional issues. Poverty could even contribute towards reduced mental and physical health. For children who experience persistent and deep poverty and / or those who experience poverty when they are young, the risks are greatest.

It is apparent by researches that the only supreme threat to the well being of children is poverty. Although effectual public policies, which is making work pay for parents earning lower incomes and providing early care of high quality and experiences of learning for children of such parents, could make a difference. Also, it is critical to invest in children that are most vulnerable (Wight, Thampi & Chau, 2011).

Within each ethnicity/race group, children in families with single parent are quite ...