The Problem of Child Poverty - Term Paper Example

? Day Month Year Child Poverty Part Economic Situation/Problem The problem of child poverty has been an issue in society since we first began measuring it, and it transcends any concept of country wealth. Developed and developing countries alike have shown an inability to truly provide a mechanism by which children can rise out of poverty. In the United States, for example, it is estimated that 22% of all children live in poverty (Bell & Strelitz, 2011, p. 538). Many in the world community simply consider this to be unacceptable. As various civilizations have come and gone, children are often the neglected ones when times get tough. This is often a result of the notion that children are powerless to defend themselves, so they quickly become at the mercy of adults in society. When those same adults fail to serve them adequately, abject poverty can result. In many parts of the world, indeed even in America, child poverty is becoming a serious issue that must be dealt with by the creation of a firm public policy. Such a policy would need to be aimed at providing community resources and assistance that enables all children to be free to excel and succeed in life by making sure that their basic human needs are being met. The reality is that, even in rough economic times, society has an obligation to care for the children in its fold, which is exactly why such a public policy is necessary in order to alleviate the problem of child poverty that is existent today. While child poverty is certainly more prevalent in some areas of the world than others, it is an issue that is far-reaching and touches nearly every part of society. Some items of note, as we consider the need for more firm policies directed at this problem, begins with dissecting some simple statistics. It is reported by UNICEF that at least 22,000 children are dying each day as a result of poverty (Olivier & Olivier, 2012). In a world with so much wealth and resources, this number is simply unacceptable. The reality is also that many of these 22,000 children die in the far reaches of the world, without anyone to notice or care. This makes the problem even more difficult to bring to the forefront of social conscience (Olivier & Olivier, 2012). The seriousness of this problem is reflected in these numbers and should be considered by any responsible global citizen as we all grapple with ways to properly care and provide for future generations. It is not only the starving child we see on charity advertisements that are living in poverty. There are countless millions of children who simply lack access to proper educational services, clothing, and shelter must of society deems as necessary to make a better life for themselves. These children experience feelings of abandonment and loneliness. They may have to adequate food and water, yet little more. They are the forgotten ones, and they are the ones that this problem must also focus on. Bell & Strelitz (2011) effectively point out that children who do not have access to proper educational services are more likely than other children to enter adulthood in poverty, repeating a never ending cycle that will not cease until the global community works to provide more than just food and shelter to poverty stricken children. Naturally, there is an even more serious side to child poverty facing us today. In the developing countries of the world, nearly 30 percent of children are now underweight or stunted in their growth. This is most commonly seen in areas of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa (Olivier & Olivier, 2012). Furthermore, a number approaching 75 million of primary school-age children are not regularly attending any sort of educational institution, further compounding efforts to be removed from a situation of poverty. It is also important to note that nearly 60 percent of this number is comprised of girls, further widening the gender gap as it relates to poverty (Oliver & Olivier, 2012). In terms of defining child poverty, it is difficult to ascertain a specific formula to labeling a particular as ‘poor’ or not. Some areas of the world see children thriving on relatively little money, while in others they would be living in squalid conditions. It is commonly accepted, however, that for a child to not be in poverty, they need to have access to a nutritious diet, adequate shelter, and proper access to education (Bell & Strelitz, 2011). Sadly, millions of children around the world do not have to any of these basic human needs, nevertheless one or two of them. In addition, it should be noted that more than 80 percent of the world’s population currently lives on less than $10 a day. This is certainly the definition of poverty, so when a child lives under such conditions, they are statistically more likely to have children of their own who live in such conditions as well (Bell & Strelitz, 2011). If this problem is left unaddressed, it will result in continued undesirable consequences for society. In short, child poverty is a social problem, with an economic context. With much of the world today aging, society must be looking forward to the future. That future, however, is not going to be bright if so many children continue to be raised in poverty without any hopes, dreams, or ambitions for a better life. Put into context, the world community needs to rally behind alleviating this problem by developing sounds and effective problems that can tackle issues related to the malnourishment and education of children around the world. In so doing, some that hope will be returned to civilization and future can indeed be bright once again. Part II Competing Perspectives As with most social problems existent in the world today, there are certainly numerous theories about the factors contributing to the problem of child poverty today. There are many economists and social experts who would contend that factors contributing to world poverty revolve around first world countries doing an inadequate job of equally distributing wealth and ensuring that all children have access to basic human needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter. While competing theories do not argue with this point, they do allude to the notion that it is not necessarily the ‘fault’ of first world countries, but rather internal turmoil and corruption that keeps much of the world in poverty. These theories, as will be demonstrated in this section, contend that the world has more than an adequate supply of resources to provide for its nearly 7 billion inhabitants and that child poverty should not be an issue. The issue is the equitable distribution of those resources, the rooting out of corruption and inept officials, and proper education for families to help properly nourish and care for their children. There is a common misconception that child poverty is a problem reserved for the poorest countries of the world. The reality is that many western countries, America included among them, struggle with their own issue of tackling this problem. The problem in America, the United Kingdom, Norway, and America has become so noticeable, for example, that these countries now set specific targets to reducing child poverty within their borders (Chen & Corak 537). Common theory and thought, then, is that if the wealthiest countries in the world cannot adequately support the children in their fold, then developing countries will continue to struggle as well. Many look to issues of income when defining child poverty. As income rises, child poverty decreases. This may make sense in first world countries, yet developing countries rarely see such rises in income, and when they do, it is usually offset by the cost of living and other natural phenomena. There is an economic factor to child poverty that cannot be ignored. As Chen & Corak (2008) point out, most definitions of child poverty revolve around the poverty line, which shifts from country to country (538). When nearly everyone in a country is living below such a line, however, conventional wisdom is that the country lacks the infrastructure and development needed to sustain its population. In issues of extreme poverty, countries rally in support of children living in poverty, yet that aid is often quickly forgotten. This leaves children left to fend largely for themselves, caught in between a country that usually unable to provide for them, and a society that has forgotten them. This theoretical approach depends upon defining what an individual has a ‘right’ to. Do children, for example, have the right to receive certain basic necessities, or is that considered a privilege. While our hearts argue with the former, societal action throughout time supports that latter. It has been noted that, “A ‘right’ is an either-or concept: it is either being respected, or it is being violated. In this sense an indicator based upon a view that poverty is a discrete condition reflecting less than a minimum acceptable income might be viewed as appropriate” (Chen & Corak 539). This construct asks society to reconsider what defines child poverty and to check the reality of whether or not that definition is being met. We obviously know that many areas of the world have children living far below the level that would be deemed as ‘appropriate’. If that is accurate, then the wealthier countries of the world need to examine this as well and work to equalize the situation globally by working with developing countries to raise the level of support given to those children living in abject poverty moving forward, regardless of the level of dysfunction the might be evident elsewhere in the world. Another common theoretical construct used to propose solutions to this economic and social problem is to provide cash infusions to families who have children living in the most dire of poverty stricken conditions. Bargain and Donni (2012) recently remarked that, “One of the most natural policies to improve children welfare consists in making cash transfers to families with children” (783). As is noted, however, much of this economic assistance, combined with various types of other resources, sadly do not make it into the hand of the children at all. In the case of case, all too often the money goes to adults who end up siphoning off much of it for their own purposes. In the case of food and other supplies (such as clothing and school supplies) corrupt officials often hold up the shipments in exchange for bribes, or end up selling the goods for their own economic gain. Until these social issues are resolved, developing nations will not be able to adequately tackle the problem of child poverty. They are ill equipped to deal with it on their own, and other countries are willing to step in to help, but at what cost? The developed countries of the world have a hard time selling the fact that they are giving cash assistance to families in need, when their own children in communities around the country are going hungry. When word spreads about the corruption leading to child poverty in many areas of the world, the situation becomes even more muddied. Part III Policy Solution – Description of Policy and Evidence of Effectiveness Recent years have seen a rise in the number of programs and policies globally aimed at reducing the level of child poverty, particularly in developing countries. One such policy involves measures aimed at identifying families most in need and providing direct assistance to them. These programs vary in scope, from individually sponsoring a child, to organizations and governments giving to various non-governmental organizations with the express purpose of earmarking the assistance for children in policy. This section will examine that stated purpose of this policy, the goods and services that are provided to clients under the policy, in addition to providing a brief history of the policy and where it stands today. The intended purpose of this initiative, or policy, is target children in poverty through certain price subsidies and cash transfers (Bargain & Donni 783). The rationale behind this policy is quite sound. Cash is given to interested parties, usually adults, who are responsible for the well-being and care of children living in a poverty stricken situation. In addition, much needed supplies for a region is distributed as well, including school supplies, clothing suitable for the region, and access to vitamins and other vital medical care. Sadly, however, the issue has become a sort of survival of the fittest. Naturally, children living in poverty are usually surrounding by adults living in the same circumstances. As such, the aid given to children often never makes it, as adults have been using the resources for their own gain. In addition, adults control the buying for the children, choosing to support their own businesses where they have a vested interest. This has actually been shown to have a detrimental effect on the local economy as prices are driven up a result. In situations where donors require proof of purchases, recipients simply charge higher prices, pocketing the profit (Bargain & Donni 792). This misuse of the policy has sorely distorted its intended use. Understanding the purpose is only a beginning. It is important to also understand the goods and services that are provided directly to children in need. As mentioned above, the aid is most often mean to provide cash directly to those in need. This cash, if used for its intended purposes, can then be beneficial in providing children with their most basic necessities. In addition, the proposal is designed to benefit the local economy of the region. By providing cash, rather than the actual supplies, local businesses are able to thrive in many instances, as families in the surrounding areas are able to provide much needed food and basic necessities to their children. As mentioned, however, this current system has inherent problems, chief among them being corruption. We first saw these programs during the ‘We Are the World’ campaign of the mid 1980s. In response the overwhelming situation of child starvation taking place in Africa, major musicians from through America and the world took part in creating a song that generated millions in direct aid for the children in Ethiopia and across the region. Subsequent years bought more telethon type events; each raising needed money to combat the problem of child poverty. Enthusiasm for the cause was high and donations, from individuals, businesses, and governments came pouring in. After a time, however, word began to spread about the rampant corruption that was taking place in the very programs that were designed to benefit children in the worst of poverty situations. Much of the money and aid directed to the poorest African countries was simply not making it. Needles to say, this drew attention to problems inherent with direct aid on a massive scale such as this, and it quickly caused the donor pool to dry up. That, coupled with historical cycles of social involvement, created an even direr situation for children living in poverty around the world, as it created a situation whereby the organizations that did operate with integrity suddenly saw dwindling resources. They were unable to provide the resources that they could just a short a time ago. Recent years have seen numerous changes to this policy designed to make the various programs more effective and to hold the people receiving cash and supplies more accountable. Various organizations have cropped up that match donors with specific donors. Rather than giving to an organization, or middleman, individuals and organizations can now give directly to the family (Bargain & Donni 791). While this does not eliminate all types of corruption, it increases the likelihood that the intended money does make it directly to children in need. Many individuals worldwide have actually met the children their money is directed to assist. By and large, this policy has proven effective. While changes are certain to be coming in the coming years to better streamline operations even more, the reality is that many children could not survive if it were not for programs such as this one. The governments of the world seem ill equipped, and perhaps even unwilling to truly tackle this issue. It has almost spiraled out of control (Chen & Corak 550). This is a situation where humanity has demonstrated their will to step in and provide assistance, even when the very governments designed to protect and to serve have failed. Part IV Proposal of How to Move Forward The issue of child poverty has no easy answer. There are numerous factors at play that make it difficult to determine one policy or program that will work in all situations. In the first world nations of the world, there are programs and procedures to eradicate child poverty, yet children in many areas still struggle to survive and go hungry. The problem, however, goes beyond mere hunger. In order for children in poverty to become adults living in prosperity, they must be given opportunity. That currently does not exist is most of the developing countries of the world. We must couple the focus we currently have on providing food and clothing to children in poverty and focus equally as hard on providing adequate educational and training services to children in need. I would propose that the child welfare branch of the United Nations propose truly universal and compulsory education for all children in member nations. Currently, many countries purport free education, yet families are left to provide their own transportation, clothing, and food to their children before they can attend. This is in addition to requiring families in many situations to purchase books and other supplies. Moving forward, all children should be able to attend school, through the secondary years, without having to worry about such issues. In addition to free education being offered, it should truly be compulsory. This would be similar to many first world countries today. There would be many that argue about cultural differences in many areas that require children to help their families work in order to provide much needed income. The argument needs to be made, however, that children deserve an opportunity as well. They have no voice as it stand now. By giving them an opportunity, we are providing them with a hope for the future that transcends mere survival. In addition to attending school, they would be provided with nutritional meals twice a day, counseling services, and as they grow older they would receive vocational training. This would serve the good of society much more deeply then merely providing food and other supplies that certainly take can of an immediate physical need, but do nothing to prepare the child for the future. Eliminating, or at least reducing, child poverty means eliminating the cycle of poverty that is existent throughout the world. This solution addresses the economic problem of child poverty presented in section one by going to the root of the problem. It looks at a long rang solution, rather than a short-term band-aid. It forces the countries of the world to provide a free education, which in the long run is more economically feasible and affordable than provide social welfare assistance on a massive scale. It also addresses corruption concerns existent in current aid programs, as children would directly be receiving an intangible service, rather than having adults control what they do and do not get. There are, of course, shortcomings to this policy, but they can be addressed over time. An adequate teaching force would need to be trained, in addition to providing access to transportation to the nearest available schooling site. There may be situations where teachers have to go to remote villages in order to teach children, but in the long run the effort will pay off. Some countries of the world are already implementing these concepts. Over time, a more educated populace will lead to a more prosperous one. Works Cited Bell, Kate and Strelitz, Jason. “Reframing Child Poverty”. Soundings 48.1 (2011): 537-553. Chen, Wen-Hao, and Corak, Miles. “Child Poverty and Changes in Child Poverty”. Demography 45.3 (2008): 537-553 Donni, Olivier and Bargain, Olivier. “Targeting and Child Poverty”. Social Choice and Welfare 39.4 (2012): 783-808. Read More