Child poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean

In the 1990s, studies began to reflect concerns about the "infantilization" of poverty in Latin America. The United Nations General Assembly defines children living in poverty as deprived of nutrition, water, access to basic health-care services, shelter, education, participation and protection. Child poverty means that children and adolescents are unable to enjoy their rights, which limits their ability to achieve their goals and play an active role in society. A multidimensional measurement perspective is required to understand the nature of child poverty. In recent years, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have been using this multidimensional perspective with a focus on rights and multiple deprivations, adapting to the region the methodology used in a global study conducted by UNICEF in 2003 jointly with researchers from the University of Bristol and the London School of Economics.

Related Subject(s): Economic and Social Development