Rise in child poverty recorded [IrishTimes]
- Published: 21 December 2010
The numbers of children experiencing consistent poverty increased last year for the first time since 2006 according to the State of the Nation's Children report published today.
The report, which is published every two years by the Department of Health, is a compilation of various sources of information on children's lives.
It shows progress in several areas including a decline in child deaths and teen births, and an increase in immunisation. However it shows an increase in abuse, poverty, and numbers waiting for social housing.
The research has also found that Traveller children, immigrant children and children with a disability or chronic illness fare less well than the general population of children across a range of markers.
The number of children living in consistent poverty had fallen from 11 per cent in 2006 to 6.3 per cent in 2008. However in 2009 that figure increased to 8.7 per cent. Children living in the south east of the country were far more likely than any other children to experience poverty with 18.5 per cent living in consistent poverty compared with 4.1 per cent in the mid east.
Children in the midlands also had high levels of consistent poverty at 13.9 per cent. Children in the midlands region were also three times more likely to be at risk of poverty than children living in the Dublin region. State-wide 18.6 per cent of children were at risk of poverty.
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