Poverty takes away the right to childhood – Eurochild Report

‘...no one understands the lived experiences of children better than children themselves’

Report on Children’s perceptions of poverty in four EU Member States

Extracts:

'Eurochild published its first report on Child Poverty, which provides an overview of the situation on the ground in Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, and Malta bringing children’s voices into the conversation. The report is the final product of a series of consultations and surveys with children carried out by four National Eurochild Forums: the National Network for Children in Bulgaria, the Society ‘Our Children’ Opatija in Croatia, the Estonian Union for Child Welfare, and the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society.

'According to the latest data from Eurostat for 2022, 24.7% of children in Europe are at risk of poverty and social exclusion, which could have a devastating impact on their lives. Eurochild is committed to working towards a society where children grow up happy, healthy, confident, and respected as individuals in their own right. Bringing children’s voices to such conversations is crucial to this objective.

'‘The underrepresentation of children’s voices in decision-making is still pervasive, especially in discussions related to child poverty. With our report, we put children’s perspectives under the spotlight because no one understands the lived experiences of children better than children themselves.’ - H.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, Eurochild President.'