Today marks UN Universal Children’s Day but what is being done to lift Ireland’s poorest children out of poverty?
One Family – Ireland’s organisation for people parenting alone, sharing parenting, and separating – have voiced their concerns on the inequality that exists in Irish society for the one in nine (11 percent) children who live in consistent poverty in Ireland.
The organisation have said that children living in one-parent family households are almost twice as likely to live in poverty than other children, with 23 percent of children in a one-parent family experiencing deprivation. This can mean going twenty-four hours without a substantial meal or being cold because parents are unable to afford to heat the home.
Figures also show that about two thirds of homeless families living in emergency accommodation are one-parent families. Karen Kiernan, CEO of One Family, says:
“While Universal Children’s Day is a wonderful celebration of the joy of childhood and the resilience of children, it is also a day to reflect on the inequalities children in Ireland face every day, not as a result of their family form, but as a result of the systemic barriers facing their parents. These are people parenting alone who are consistently thwarted in their attempts to create more positive futures for their families in their efforts to enter education or the workplace. We know, and research shows, that it is the education level of parents and living in consistent poverty that most impact a child’s future.”
She continues:
“Recent ESRI research, ‘Cherish all the Children Equally?’, confirmed that children living in one-parent families are more likely to fare poorly directly as a result of living in consistent poverty. To be clear, growing up in a lone parent family structure does not create a source of inequality in a child’s life; the inequality comes from inequitable systems and attitudes towards lone parents.”
Karen also says that not enough is being done to lift Ireland’s poorest children out of poverty:
“We have yet to see a cohesive attempt to break down the barriers that one-parent families in receipt of social welfare payments still face, and nothing to acknowledge those who share parenting.”
Do you think the boom is really back or are parents still struggling financially as much as ever? Let us know your thoughts in the Facebook comments or join the conversation on Twitter @HerFamilydotie
