Child poverty newsletter

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IDEP Special

Text: Ending social and institutional maltreatment

On 17 October, we celebrated the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (IDEP). This year’s theme, “Ending Social and Institutional Maltreatment,” shed light on an often-overlooked aspect of poverty: its social dimensions.

To mark this important day, the members of the Global Coalition to End Child Poverty organized a series of impactful events and initiatives, highlighting the collective efforts to combat child poverty.

The urgency to address child poverty continues every day of the year, beyond IDEP. You can help by disseminating the evergreen social media assets, dispelling myths around child poverty and social protection.

Webinar ‘Restoring Dignity: Tackling Shame and Stigma in Social Protection for Children and Families’

The Global Coalition to End Child Poverty organized an online event focused on addressing shame and stigma within social protection programming.The event provided insights into social protection programmes that uphold dignity, reduce stigma, and create environments where all children and families can thrive.

Co-moderated by David Lambert Tumwesigye from Save the Children and Sola Engilbertsdottir from UNICEF —both co-chairs of the Global Coalition to End Child Poverty— the event featured a diverse panel of academics, activists, civil society members, and UN experts.

Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, highlighted that the fear of stigma and being perceived as dependent are major barriers to the uptake of social protection programmes. He emphasized the importance of tackling povertyism – negative attitudes and behaviors towards people living in poverty.

Adding to this, Robert Walker, Emeritus Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford University, and Professor at the Jingshi Academy, Beijing Normal University, presented strategies to shame-proof social protection.

Manu Tissera, Chief Transformation Officer of the Sarvodaya Movement in Sri Lanka, stated that social protection is a human right and emphasized the importance of including recipients in the decision-making process.

Aurelia Drayak, ATD Fourth World and Teen Advocacy activist (UK), stated: “Children and young people are rarely given a voice, but they have invaluable contributions. Giving an active role to those in poverty not only reduces shame and stigma but it also creates better solutions.”

Tyler Byrd, ATD Fourth World activist (US), said: “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with seeking governmental help if there’s some dire strait. It’s not a crime to get the assistance you need that the government provides. This is how social and institutional maltreatment become intertwined. People are seen as the problem, instead of the issue at hand.”

The event was a powerful reminder of the importance of dignity in social protection. You can check out the recordings and the slides.

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty poster

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty Commemoration at the United Nations

Co-organized by the International Movement ATD Fourth World, UN DESA, the International Committee for October 17, and the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations, the IDEP Commemoration took place on 17 October.

The event began with an opening ceremony in the ECOSOC Chamber at the United Nations Headquarters, followed by an observance at the Commemorative Stone in Honor of the Victims of Extreme Poverty in the UN gardens.

Be sure to check out the inspiring messages from the speakers on social media and the event recording.

OPHI and UNDP launched the 2024 Global MPI Report: “Poverty amid Conflict”

The global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is a powerful tool that provides an internationally comparable measure of acute multidimensional poverty for over 100 countries in developing regions. According to the global MPI 2024, more than half of the 1.1 billion people living in multidimensional poverty are children under 18, totaling 584 million. This means that 27.9 per cent of children across 112 countries are multidimensionally poor, a rate more than double that of adults (13.5 per cent).

The situation is particularly alarming in Sub-Saharan Africa, home to 317 million children living in multidimensional poverty, followed by South Asia with 184 million. The 2024 report, titled “Poverty amid Conflict,” produced by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative and the United Nations Development Programme, delves into the intersection of poverty and conflict. By overlaying conflict data with poverty statistics, the report provides a deeper understanding of how conflict exacerbates the situation.

The findings underscore the urgent need for peace, highlighting how poverty and conflict are intertwined and what this means for global poverty reduction efforts. This comprehensive analysis calls for immediate action to address both poverty and the conditions that perpetuate it. Learn more.

Eurochild joined the international community to raise awareness and advocate for ending social and institutional maltreatment

Eurochild released its first documentary showcasing how young people can drive change in their city. The project, in collaboration with Albero della Vita and CIDIS, engaged 2,000 children from 9 schools in 3 disadvantaged districts of Naples, addressing issues like early school leaving, education, poverty, and social exclusion while promoting meaningful child participation.

Find out more about Eurochild’s commitment to ensuring that no child lives in poverty and social exclusion in Europe.

International roundtable: ‘I was born - I exist – Add me to the list’

A guaranteed legal identity is essential for the most excluded individuals to access their rights, including social protection, and to build peaceful and inclusive societies. Ensuring no one is left behind begins with birth registration for every child.

The International Committee for October 17 and ATD Fourth World Movement organized an international roundtable in Dakar, Senegal, to emphasize the critical need for every birth to be registered and for every child to have a legal identity. This event brought together families living in poverty who face challenges in registering their children’s births, civil society organizations, government officials, representatives from regional and international organizations, and private sector partners to reflect and collaborate on this vital issue.

10th Anniversary of the End Child Poverty Knowledge Centre

Arigatou International-End Child Poverty celebrated the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty by marking the 10th anniversary of the End Child Poverty Knowledge Centre in collaboration with Sarvodaya. The event featured participation of 60 children through a learning session at the SDGs Academy for Children and an art exhibition at the Methotamulla Children Empowerment Centre.

Do you have ideas on what to include in the future child poverty newsletters?

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The Global Coalition to End Child Poverty is a global initiative to raise awareness about children living in poverty worldwide and support global and national action to alleviate it, as outlined by SDG Goal 1: No Poverty.

Our members work together as part of the Coalition and individually to achieve a world where all children grow up free from poverty, deprivation, and exclusion.

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