One in every three Asian children facing absolute poverty

BY CHANDANI Jayatilleke

HUNDREDS of millions of children in Asia are growing up in absolute poverty although Asia is set to be the most economically thriving region in the world in the 21st century. Therefore, growing up in Asia over the next 10 years will be a significant challenge for many children.

At present, many children are deprived of their basic rights to survive, be protected, develop and participate in the opportunities around them, according to a report by 'Plan', a leading international child charity.

They will be deprived because of their families' lack of resources and lack of access to health, education and water and sanitation services and income opportunities.

They will also be deprived because of how they are treated by the adults and institutions around them. Girls often do not go to school, not because of the lack of a school, but because of the attitudes of their parents, stated the report.

Plan's report called 'Growing up in Asia' which was launched internationally last week, stated "the maginitude and persistance of child poverty in Asia, despite the rapid economic development in the continent, made them reflect on the causes and consequences of child poverty".

According to the report, one out of every five people on the planet is a child living in a developing country in Asia - an estimated 1.27 billion in 2005. This figure is estimated to be around 1.22 billion in 10 years.

Out of these children nearly 600 million or half of the young population in Asia would be severely deprived of at least one of basic needs listed in the absolute poverty category, such as, food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. The vast majority of them live in South Asia.

And over 350 million children or almost one out of every three children in Asia would be absolutely poor - defined as a severe deprivation in two or more basic needs. Again, vast majority live in South Asia.

One of the most affected sectors is the children living in rural areas. "They are much worse off than children in urban areas," the report said.

However, the causes for poverty among children vary throughout Asia. For instance, India has the largest number of poor children for any country. An estimated 80% of its 400 million children are severely deprived and 60% are absolutely poor.

Many are malnourished and a third of new-borns are underweight. India also has the largest number of working children in the world and accounts for 20% of the world's out of school children.

The causes for poverty among children in India can be attributed to income poverty, lack of resources and access to services, a child's gender, class and caste.

Despite the magnitude of the issue, child poverty remains remarkably hidden from policy-makers and public as a major development issue.

Very little research has been done on it, compared to research on environmental issues and gender issues and children rarely feature in discussions among decision-makers and when they do they are often subsumed in the phrase 'women and children' where the focus remains on women.

In fact children are very important as an independently identified group, mainly because, they form a significant part of the population of developing countries in Asia. Children are also the most vulnerable and the most affected by poverty and adverse economic conditions and policies.

Children are also the least consulted members of society. And investing in the human capital of children is the most cost-efficient and effective way of combating inter-generational poverty.

"Health and education programs for poor children are the best way to do this, and are relatively inexpensive compared to many other types of development intervention such as infrastructure projects," the report suggested.

Explaining further, the report said child poverty is overlooked because of the powerlessness of children and because of incorrect assumptions that either children will respond in the same way as adults to development interventions or that adults will always act in the best interests of their children.

Behind Asia's huge number of children in poverty are tales of injustice, struggle and wasted potential. Such poverty is certainly a serious challenge to the economic development and security of the region.

In every developing country in Asia, there are huge efforts by very committed individuals and organisations in the public and non-governmental and private sectors to combat these causes and provide the resources to alleviate poverty.

Plan's vision according to the report, is of a world in which all children realise their full potential in societies which respect people's rights and dignities. "There is much to do to realise this Vision in Asia," the report said.

To realise this vision, Plan will contribute one billion US dollars towards the development of millions of children and their families in at least 12 countries across the region.

In this excercise, Plan will work in partnerships and alliances with the children, their families, communities, civil society and governments by building productive relationships and enabling children's voices to be heard and recognised in issues that affect them.

This strategic framework identifies 12 challenges Plan in Asia will need to overcome to achieve these aspirations over the next 10 years.

Key among them include: ensuring the involvement of children in programs; expanding operations into poorer countries and areas, and enabling operations in richer areas to evolve and become independent; raising resources from non-poor Asian citizens; becoming a recognised Asian NGO and advocating on the fundamental causes of child poverty.

All Plan's operations will follow a Child Centred Community Development approach (CCCD). It is a rights based approach in which children, families and communities are active and leading participants in their own development.

It involves the participation of girls, boys, men and women in decisions and issues that affect them; the formation and support of representative community groups and organisations to tackle local issues; partnerships and alliances with public or non-governmental organisations that can support the work of community groups; and scaling up successful work and advocacy on issues whose causes are beyond a local remit.

Plan will use the CCCD approach to tackle both aspects of children's poverty: Their lack of resources and access to essential services which Plan will address through its interventions on household economic security; child health; water and environmental sanitation; and education; and how adults treat children with emphasis on interventions to protect women, girls and boys, and particularly children with disabilities, working children, trafficked children or children at risk of being trafficked, children affected by HIV/AIDS and children affected by conflicts or disasters.