UNICEF says 1.3 million Polish children below the poverty line
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
01.06.2012 12:29
A report by UNICEF studying 35 of the wealthiest countries in the world claims that 1.3 million Polish children are living in poverty.
Immer mehr Polen im Ausland fordern polnische Sprachkurse und Polnischunterricht.Glowimages
Photo: Glowimages
Overall, the international charity believes that over 30 million children are currently living below the poverty line in the countries surveyed.
In Europe, where 29 countries were studied, 13 million children were considered to be lacking in basic necessities.
“The data reinforces that far too many children continue to go without the basics in countries that have the means to provide,” said Gordon Alexander, Director of UNICEF's Office of Research, in an official statement.
Besides examining the level of disposable household income of families, factors considered by the charity were whether a child could count on three meals a day, whether he or she had more than one pair of shoes, whether there was access to a quiet place to do homework and whether there were educational books in the home and access to the internet.
Poland was ranked 24th in the European section of the survey, while the worst level of deprivation was found in Romania, followed by Bulgaria and Portugal.
Overall, the United States had the second worst rate, while the Nordic states and the Netherlands had the lowest levels of child poverty. (nh)