150 million children have plunged into poverty due to COVID-19.
Unicef reveals the number of children living in multi-dimensional poverty without access to education, health, housing, nutrition, sanitation or water has risen by 15% since the start of the pandemic. Warns the situation will likely worsen in months to come.
Social protection, inclusive fiscal policies, employment & labour market interventions are critical to lifting children out of poverty. We need to prevent further devastation. Expanding access to quality health care, providing technology needed for children to continue remote education, investing in family-friendly policies like child care need additional focus.
This pandemic has caused the biggest global education emergency. Increase in poverty will make it very hard for most vulnerable children to recover. Children are more likely to be forced into child labour, early marriage, sex trafficking if basic life needs like school, medicine, food, water, shelter are unmet. Hope governments prioritise marginalised children – expansion of social protection systems, child benefits, remote learning opportunities, healthcare services, school feeding.
Donate to Prayas – an urgent appeal
We can’t afford to let an entire generation of children become victims of this pandemic.
