UNICEF Global Study on Child Poverty and Disparities
EAPRO Regional Workshop - Bangkok
Sharmila Kurukulasuriya [[email protected]]
Policy and Practice, May 2008
Agenda
Context
Child Poverty Network
Methodology
Analysis
Updates
Looking Ahead
Global Study on Child Poverty and Disparities
Why focus on child poverty now?
Insufficient attention to child poverty Persistent disparities Emerging risks and new development opportunities Demand for child-focused data – new surveys Exchange of experiences / regional – global
comparisons Strengthening of UN/UNICEF’s contribution to
development discourse Need for child-centred socioeconomic analyses
Context
Regional income poverty
Source: WB, Global Monitoring Report 2008
Introducing the Global Study…
Launched in September 2007– initial results
expected in June/July (first statistical and policy template received from Kyrgyzstan!)
Child poverty from two perspectives: outcomes
and policy with a focus on children left behind National ownership and Independence in Analysis Linking people with complementary expertise and
shared interests and goals National, Regional and Global Analyses
Context
Child Poverty Network
43 Participating Countries with a network of over 200 members:Government Ministries - National Statistics Offices - AcademiaThink tanks – NGOs - UN Agencies - UNICEF
Knowledge Sharing Objectives
Provide a forum to exchange ideas on child poverty Exchange comparative experiences and good
practices related to the process, analysis and advocacy of the global study
Link Country teams to cutting edge knowledge and innovations from centres of excellence around the world
Share resources and information on training opportunities, and other events
Child poverty network
Statistical and Policy Templates
To identify linkages between economic and social policy and child outcomes.
Statistical Template: child outcome tabulations and relevant contextual information using data from MICS, DHS or relevant national surveys.
Policy Template: designed to assess existing national efforts aimed at reducing child poverty and disparities.
Focus on five areas of outcomes:1. Income2. Nutrition3. Health4. Child Protection5. Education
Methodology
University of Bristol’s Role in the Study
1) The Bristol University produces a set of tables (20 out of the 45 statistical tables) to support the work of country teams using MICS/DHS data available
2) Discussion is underway with the Bristol team (and other International Partner institutes) on involvement in further support/collaboration
3) The Study uses – among other conceptualizations of child poverty and disparities – the so called “Bristol concept”
Professor David Gordon & Shailen NandySchool for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, [email protected] [email protected]
Methodology
No Deprivation Extreme Deprivation
Mild Moderate Severe
The “Bristol method” conceptualises deprivations as a continuum which ranges from no deprivation through mild, moderate and severe deprivation to extreme deprivation.
Continuum of deprivation
Based on the 1995 Social Summit declaration the method defined threshold measures of severe deprivation of basic human need for:
1. food2. safe drinking water3. sanitation facilities4. health
5. shelter6. education7. information
Methodology
Operational Definitions of Severe Deprivation of Basic Human Needs for Children
1) Severe Shelter Deprivation – children in dwellings with five or more people per room (severe overcrowding) or with no flooring material (e.g. a mud floor).
2) Severe Water Deprivation - children who only had access to surface water (e.g. rivers) for drinking or who lived in households where the nearest source of water was more than 30 minutes round trip away (e.g. indicators of severe deprivation of water quality or quantity).
3) Severe Deprivation of Sanitation Facilities – children who had no access to a toilet of any kind in the vicinity of their dwelling, e.g. no private or communal toilets or latrines.
4) Severe Information Deprivation – children aged between 3 and 18 with no access to newspapers, radio or television or computers or phones at home.
5) Severe Food Deprivation– severely malnourished children whose heights and weights were more than 3 Standard Deviations below the median of the international reference population e.g. severe anthropometric failure.
6) Severe Health Deprivation – children who had not been immunised against any diseases or young children who had a recent illness and had not received any medical advice or treatment.
7) Severe Education Deprivation – children aged between 7 and 18 who had never been to school and were not currently attending school (e.g. no professional education of any kind
Methodology
Regional income inequality
Source: WB, Global Monitoring Report 2008
OverviewPart One: Children & Development1.1 Children, poverty and disparities1.2 The political, economic and institutional context 1.3 Macroeconomic strategies and resources allocationPart Two: Poverty and Children2.1 Income poverty and deprivations affecting children 2.2 Child survival and equity2.3 Causal analysis: what factors explain the levels and trends in poverty?Part Three: The Pillars of Child Wellbeing3.1 Nutrition 3.2 Health3.3 Child protection 3.4 Education3.5 Social ProtectionPart Four: Addressing Child Poverty and Disparities - A Strategy for Results 4.1 What needs to be done4.2 How it could happenStatistical Annex
Country Analysis: Proposed LayoutAnalysis
Regional Updates
WCARO, CEE/CIS, ESARO (internal) and ROSA have had regional workshops to discuss the global study (MENA and TACRO workshops planned)
New School/UNICEF Conference on Child Poverty (NY) + meeting on global study
Hands-on Training (planned) - tailored technical support (useful?)
TACRO had first technical meeting for their regional report
Additional Countries have joined the study – all are welcome!
Updates
Country - HighlightsSierra Leone FGDs with140 children (boys
and girls), aged 13-17 years Issues: participation, defining
poverty, protection, solutions Findings:
• poverty is getting worse • more children working to
improve earnings • lack of involvement in
decision making• occurrences of sexual abuse,
corporal punishment• children define extreme
poverty as a lack of access to a education
Updates
Kyrgyzstan Quality of education: School age
children show decreasing levels of learning achievements over last seven years
Number of children deprived of parental care has increased in the last 10 years
Children are not explicitly featured in the main policy document
Policy initiatives do not address regional disparities
Information on program effectiveness is not available (coverage, costs, etc.)
Milestones
Sept 07-Jan 08 Country teams Plans
Feb-June 08 National-Regional- Global Workshops
June-July 08 Statistical-Policy Templates
Aug-Sept 08 Draft country analyses, Peer review process, hands-on training
Sept-Oct 08 Final Analysis
Advocacy Strategy
Regional Analyses
Global AnalysesMay-June 08 Data from Bristol
Looking Ahead
Oct 08 - 2009 Advocacy/ Follow-up
Generate new country level evidence Strengthen partnerships, networks Mobilise national interest in child poverty work Focus on children left behind Target key decision makers ADVOCATE FOR POLICY CHANGE
Looking Ahead
Translating evidence-based analysis and partnerships into
results for children
Over the next 2 days…
Taking time out from doing the work, to talk about the work, with the goal of enhancing the analysis
Learning lessons that can shape this region, other regions and the global analyses
Improving support from UNICEF’s regional – global teams and international partners / facilitate networking
Identifying opportunities for sharing and collaboration across countries
Setting an agenda and a strategy for the work ahead Building a global team – building a common
understanding
Looking Ahead
THANK YOU!
Child Poverty Network: email/web/face-to-face [email protected]
? Help desk: email [email protected]
Contact–focal point HQ: Sharmila Kurukulasuriya ([email protected])
Global Study Blog: web http://www.unicefglobalstudy.blogspot.com/