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    Save the Children: recovery worries 7 out of 10 parents

  • Save the Children, children caught between growing poverty and scarce opportunities

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10 September 2020 Six months after the WHO declaration of a pandemic, the impact of the coronavirus on children in the poorest areas of the world is "catastrophic": in 2020 there will be 117 million more minors at risk of poverty, 10 million children may never go back to school and 80 million risk being unable to access essential vaccines.

This is the alarm launched today in a new report, entitled 'Protect a Generation', by the Save the Children organization.



The study, based on a vast global survey conducted in 37 countries on over 25,000 children and adults, indicates, among other things, an increase in inequalities and the gender gap, as well as a doubling of domestic violence.

This is a situation that does not spare even Italy, where by the end of the year one million more minors could slip into absolute poverty, double compared to those of 2019.   



Globally, 3 out of 4 families declared that they had lost part of their income, 2 out of 3 are unable to adequately feed their children and 9 out of 10 are unable to access medical care.

Particularly the households already in poverty before the pandemic are most affected: among these 82% suffered income decreases compared to 70% of non-poor families.   



The consequences also on the education front are very serious, with 8 out of 10 children who, with the closure of schools, completely interrupted all forms of learning and only less than 1% of the poorest minors who have access to the internet and distance learning .

And in Italy, one in 10 parents believe they cannot afford to buy all school books, and 2 out of 10 fear they can no longer bear the cost of the school canteen.   



Girls and children deprived, in the world, of the opportunity to study and increasingly exposed to the risk of suffering violence, even at home, and of being forced to go to work to help families: a condition that further increases gender gaps, making girls and girls pay the highest price, who with the pandemic have had to deal more and more with household chores (in 63% of cases, against 43% for boys), thus giving up studying and risking having to marry prematurely often with men much older than themselves.   



"This pandemic has not looked anyone in the face, has not been stopped by borders and has affected people and communities all over the world, with serious consequences especially on the future of many children - said Daniela Fatarella, Director General of Save the Children - . Covid has increased inequalities everywhere, in Italy but even more in fragile areas of the planet. We are not yet out of the health risk, but among the priorities to start again, there must be that of protecting children. We cannot risk them falling behind , because otherwise we will all be left behind ".