2.6m children slipped into poverty in developed countries since 2008: UN

28 October 2014 - 15:32 By Sapa-dpa
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Games are a good medium for children to learn the art of socialising and making friends
Games are a good medium for children to learn the art of socialising and making friends
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The most recent economic crisis has had harsh consequences for children in developed countries, where an additional 2.6 million have become poor since 2008, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Tuesday in Rome.

In more than half of the 41 countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia, poverty among children had gone been on the rise in the years to 2012, UNICEF said in a report, citing the latest available data.

The situation had deteriorated most sharply in Iceland, Greece, Latvia, Croatia and Ireland.

In total, an estimated 76.6 million children are poor, about the same as the entire population of Turkey.

UNICEF criticized that a majority of rich countries ended stimulus policies in 2010 and turned instead to budget cuts, which disproportionally affected children.

"Many affluent countries have suffered a great leap backwards in terms of household income and the impact on children will have long-lasting repercussions for them and their communities," said Jeffrey O'Malley, UNICEF's policy chief.

Governments should have worked to decrease poverty during the growth years in order to protect against future shocks, UNICEF said, calling also on governments to guarantee minimum social standards.

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