It is important to consider the potential of harnessing the demographic dividend as the majority of children live in India
Post Date – 12:50 AM, Saturday – 12/3/22
India has a population of 1.28 billion people, including 478 million children, about 29% of whom are aged 0-5 (UNICEF, December 2017), who face extreme poverty.
By Dr. T Prabhakara Reddy, Dr. Sanjay Asthana
Hyderabad: Absolute poverty is defined as a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to social services. To make the definition of poverty more comprehensive, non-income aspects are added to its concept. In this context, it is appropriate to cite UNICEF’s definition, which goes beyond income parameters and discusses deprivation other non-income parameters that are equally important for estimating multidimensional poverty.
define poverty
UNICEF’s definition of poor children goes well beyond income to “deprive them of the material, mental and emotional resources they need to survive, develop and thrive, preventing them from enjoying their rights, reaching their full potential or serving as formal and equal members of society to participate in society”. In addition, cognitive inclusion principles are used to conceptualize and measure poverty, recognizing children’s experiences, knowledge and priorities.
In fact, India has a population of 1.28 billion people, including 478 million children, about 29% of whom are 0-5 years old (UNICEF, December 2017). Most of these 29% face extreme poverty due to lack of nutritious food, drinking water, healthcare and immunization etc. Therefore, reducing child poverty is of great importance in India given that most children are living within the potential of the demographic dividend.
“Reducing child poverty” is a phrase embedded in theoretical terms and policy semantics. In terms of a meaningful set of field programmes, it is seriously behind. From term definition to implementation, despite global and national efforts to address the social issue of child poverty, it remains a thorny issue. In a 2019 report published before the Covid-19 outbreak, the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) showed that children under 18 bear the greatest burden of multidimensional poverty. The pandemic exacerbates child poverty in several ways.
multidimensional approach
The MPI is based on a set of objective criteria designed to measure a person’s deprivation across three equally weighted dimensions – health, education and standard of living. The three dimensions are subdivided into 10 indicators. For example, under health, the two indicators are nutrition and child mortality; and education – years of schooling and school attendance. Under Living Standards, there are 6 indicators – Cooking Fuel, Sanitation, Drinking Water, Electricity, Housing and Assets.
Although MPI dimensions and indicators measure poverty levels, they prevent proper understanding of child poverty in the context of the Global South. For example, the political economy and sociocultural factors and kinship networks of rural, peri-urban, and urban working-class families are complex and generally outside the purview of MPI. To this end, a number of qualitative, small-scale studies have provided important insights into the development of robust child poverty reduction strategies that vary within a country by context and region, such as the development of social conservation plan.
A micro-study using the ‘Participatory Poverty Identification’ approach was carried out to understand child poverty by applying the concept of multidimensional poverty in Hyderabad. It was found that 60% of children were multidimensionally poor, and the rest were severely multidimensionally poor. 35% explained the need for parental care. Furthermore, girls equated violence and abuse with child poverty, while human trafficking was noted in poor households.
data key
UNICEF’s Office of Research has provided ongoing critique of the MPI through the Multidimensional Overlapping Deprivation Analysis (MODA), with the aim of moving the discussion forward, particularly in terms of measuring and engaging with the underlying realities affecting child poverty in the global South. Therefore, a more reliable set of quantitative and qualitative data is needed to shed light on the causes of child poverty for the development of mitigation strategies and policy guidance. Various local, regional, national and global events and situations exacerbate the severity of child poverty and require careful and calibrated responses. According to the 2019 Indian Human Development Survey, households with children have three times higher poverty rates.
The survey was completed before the pandemic hit. With the numbers grim due to the pandemic, there is an urgent need for quick and effective strategies and policies. For example, children are pushed into poverty due to parents losing their jobs due to Covid. Additionally, the pandemic has exacerbated learning challenges due to school closures. Public school closures have had a notable impact on lunch programs, especially in some states. Here, indicators under health and education intersect and overlap; one is a necessary prerequisite for the other.
Potential losses accumulated from lack of food can lead to malnutrition and disease. These have knock-on and direct effects on the learning of younger generations and their human capital development. The government has started e-learning to impart education to children, more information, solidarity and action are needed. Continuity of child-centred services and equitable and practical support for parents and carers is therefore critical.
key reforms
There is an urgent need for institutionalized child budgeting and child-sensitive social protection systems that prioritize structural reforms and reduce fiscal burdens, while working to prevent the deepening and widening of child poverty. In addition, ensuring the right of all families to basic needs through food assistance, housing support, and health care program reform is critical. State and local governments must care for children from low-income families, design conditional/unconditional social protection programs for identified vulnerable children and families, and ensure children receive financial support. Therefore, they may not fall into poverty and can continue their education without hindrance.
Beyond that, it is equally important to involve all stakeholders, including local government, civil society and self-help groups. Structural reforms that prioritize intergenerational poverty and historical marginalization, as well as policies that address issues such as income inequality and unfair school systems, should be a priority.
(Dr. T Prabhakara Reddy is a former consultant to UNICEF Indonesia and an independent researcher in Hyderabad. Dr. Sanjay Asthana is a professor at the School of Journalism and Strategic Media, Middle Tennessee State University, USA)
