Today, 3.8 million children - almost 1 in 3 - live in poverty in the UK. This is one of the highest child poverty rates in the industrialised world.
Growing up in poverty is one of the biggest barriers to children enjoying their rights. It has a profound impact on children’s health, education, aspirations and well-being, yet children on their own can do little about it. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the effects of child poverty are estimated to cost the UK £25 billion each year.
The UK Government has committed to ending child poverty in the UK by 2020. Without urgent action, the number of children living in poverty in the UK will increase as more families struggle to cope with the recession.
