One-in-five Irish children are going hungry and living without decent housing, clothes and other necessities, a shocking new report has revealed.
The Government has come under fire after the damning figures show that 230,000 children are living in poverty in Ireland.
A massive 25% of children are living in families who lack two or more basic necessities, according to the Poverty Focus 2019 report from Social Justice Ireland, released today.
Of these children, more than 110,000 are living in consistent poverty. This means they are living in households with incomes below the poverty line and are also experiencing deprivation.
The poverty line is 60% of median income, which in Ireland is calculated by the CSO. The poverty line for a family with one adult and two children is €418.50 per week, or €21,837 per year.
For a family with two adults and two children, the poverty line for a family with two adults and two children is €584.90 per week, or €30,520 annually.
“The scale of child poverty in Ireland is alarming and is simply unacceptable in a country as wealthy as ours,” said Seán Healy, Director of Social Justice Ireland.
Almost 800,000 Irish people now living below the poverty line says St Vincent de Paul
“Children are one of the most vulnerable groups in society. Despite good intentions, child poverty is an issue that Irish society and public policy has made little progress in addressing for a long time.”
TDs could end child poverty by prioritising adequate social welfare rates, decent pay and conditions for working parents and increased child benefit, Social Justice Ireland claimed.
The think tank said maintaining adequate adult welfare rates is vital to ensure that low income families do not fall below the poverty line, adding that child benefit remains a key route to tackling child poverty.
The organisation also called for decent rates of pay and conditions, arguing that people working full time should be able to earn enough to provide for their families.
“Eliminating child poverty should be a top priority for Government,” said Mr Healy. “It can be done, but it requires action now. More equality is better for everybody, including the economy.”
Children cannot be helped out of poverty unless their families are also empowered to do so, according to Michelle Murphy, research and policy analyst with Social Justice Ireland.
“Child poverty is essentially an issue of families struggling to survive on low incomes,” said Ms Murphy.
“Children cannot be lifted out of poverty unless their families are lifted out of poverty.”
Lone parents in Ireland are being ignored by the State, St Vincent de Paul claims
