Dispatches From The UK Frontline
![poverty [click for larger image]](sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/poverty1.gif)
About one quarter of Britain’s
population lives below the national poverty line and
3.6 million children live in poverty.What is it like to live in poverty
in the UK – a country which is considered wealthy – but where there is a huge gap between the ‘haves’
and the ‘have nots’? In part it can be about having no money, but, it can also mean being isolated, unsupported
and have a lack of formal education, in order to get even a basic jobOne recent survey showed that about 6.5 million adults
go without essential clothing, such as a warm waterproof coat, because of lack of money.
Over 10.5 million people live in financial insecurity: they can’t
afford to save, insure their house contents, or spend even small amounts on themselves. About 9.5 million can’t afford
adequate housing – heated, free from damp, and in a decent state of decoration. The crucial factor about these findings
is that they are based on a survey of what the general population sees as necessities.We also know what a dark shadow poverty
casts, particularly over children’s lives and their futures. Eighteen per cent of children go without two or more items
that the majority of the population says are necessities, such as adequate clothing, toys, or three meals a day.
One in five non-working families on low or moderate incomes reported
being unable to afford some basic food items on most days in 2000.Children from poor homes are more likely to die as a baby
or a child, and have lower life expectancy overall. They also have a greater likelihood of bad health, a greater risk of unemployment,
and a lower chance of high educational achievement.
As was already stated, with a quarter of Britain’s population living below the national poverty
line, and three million households in debt to door-to-door money lenders, life is bleak for many in this apparently affluent
country. Poverty rose sharply during the last two decades, particularly in the 1980s.
While the face of poverty in the UK is different from the face of poverty in developing countries, the underlying causes, and the impact that poverty
has on people, can be very similar.
Being poor isn’t just about a lack of money or possessions – the effects run much deeper. There
are many studies to show that the education, health, life-expectancy, and employment prospects of the children of families
with low incomes are much worse than they are for children born to better-off parents.
Poverty also means being powerless – having no say in the decisions that affect your life. And it can
also mean being treated as a second-class citizen by the rest of society. This is the same for most poor people, whether they
live in a housing estate in Wales, or a village in Ghana.
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Many people live in "absolute poverty" |
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let no one go unfed or unclothed |
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The report, which is the first of
its kind by the international
children’s organisation, was
designed to show how countries
compare internationally, rather
than to explain the differences.
But Professor Jonathan Bradshaw,
a leading authority on child poverty,
believes that it is also in part a
reflection of past failings.
Child Poverty Action group is the
leading charity campaigning for
the abolition of poverty among
children and young people in
the UK and for the improvement
of the lives of low-income families
once and for all
3.6 million children in
the UK live in poverty.
a coalition of organisations
from the voluntary, private
and public sectors campaigning
to ensure that the goal
becomes a reality. Find out
more about this campaign
and how you can
make a difference.
the OXFAM site
With a quarter of Britain’s population
living below the
and three million households in
debt to door-to-door money lenders
, life is bleak for many in
this apparently affluent country
food is a basic right that
no one should be deprived of.
poverty means having too little
money or other facilities to be
able to eat an adequate diet
networks, like this one work in
collaboration to help
eradicate food poverty
this database
formerly called the
Food and Low Income Database
was set up in 1996 by
Sustain: the alliance for better
food and farming and the
Health Development Agency.
It comes under the remit of
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From The Files
Madeleine Bunting Monday November 22, 2004 The Guardian The state's increasing
preoccupation with
how we raise our
children risks penalising
the poorest parents
John Carvel,
The government's plan to put
children at the heart of its
election strategy had a
setback last night when the
United Nations voiced
"grave concern"
about the violation of children's
rights in Britain.
a progressive think tank,
founded in 1996.
their mission is to advance
social justice in
a market economy
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