The International Labour Organization (ILO), Save the Children and UNICEF, say over 1.4 billion children aged 0-15 worldwide lack any form of social protection, leaving them vulnerable to disease, poor nutrition, and poverty.
In a joint statement, the trio revealed there has been a modest global increase in access to child benefits over 14 years, from 20% in 2009 to 28.1% in 2023.
However, the progress has been unequal. In low-income countries, rates of coverage remain staggeringly low, at around 9%. At the same time, 84.6% of children in high-income countries are covered.
The statement showed that in low-income countries, less than one in ten children in this age group have access to child benefits, highlighting a significant disparity compared to the coverage enjoyed by children in high-income countries.
Also, child benefits are a critical form of social protection, intended to promote the long-term well-being of children. Paid in cash or tax credits, child benefits are essential for reducing poverty, as well as accessing healthcare, nutrition, quality education, and water and sanitation. Additionally, these benefits support socio-economic development, particularly in times of crisis.
“In such contexts, many children are deprived of the basic resources and services they need to escape poverty and are therefore exposed to the long-lasting impacts of hunger, malnutrition, and unrealised potential. The three organizations are calling on governments to ensure all children are shielded by social protection mechanisms, including universal child benefits.
“The data shows there has been a modest global increase in access to child benefits over 14 years, from 20% in 2009 to 28.1% in 2023. However, the progress has been unequal. In low-income countries, rates of coverage remain staggeringly low, at around 9%. At the same time, 84.6% of children in high-income countries are covered.
“Coverage rates for children in countries that are highly vulnerable to climate impacts are a third lower than those in countries that are not classified as being at high risk. Ensuring children are covered by social protection is key to protecting them from the worst impacts of the climate crisis.
“Globally, there are 333 million children living in extreme poverty, struggling to survive on less than US$2.15 per day, and nearly 1 billion children living in multidimensional poverty. At the current rate of progress, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals’ poverty targets are out of reach.
“This is unacceptable. However, ending child poverty is a policy choice. Expanding social protection coverage of children in the fight against poverty is critical, including the progressive realisation of universal child benefits,” said Natalia Winder Rossi, Director, Social Policy and Social Protection, UNICEF.
“This is a crisis for the over one billion children who are not covered by benefits, and for the countries in which they live. There is an urgent need for effective policymaking to help us close protection gaps. Regional inequalities in coverage and progress are of serious concern – improvement in child benefit coverage is marginal in most regions and too many children are still being left behind.” said Shahra Razavi, Director of the Social Protection Department at the ILO.
“To bolster efforts to monitor and reduce the gaps in child benefit coverage, Save the Children, ILO and UNICEF have developed the Global Child Benefits Tracker, an online platform to monitor children’s access to benefits, and advocate with governments and donors to close the gaps.
“This launch comes at a critical time when most recent data shows that 829 million children globally are living in households with per-person incomes below US$3.65 a day and progress on child poverty reduction has largely stalled.
“Child benefits support families to afford better nourishment, health, education, and protection and are key for realising children’s rights and enhancing their potential as adults. Child benefits are therefore critical to building inclusive and resilient economies for the future. Unfortunately, many countries have not prioritised investment in social protection.
“Through the Child Benefits Tracker, we highlight the scale of global child poverty and examples of progress to inspire greater political will and investment in child-sensitive social protection systems,” said David Lambert Tumwesigye, Global Policy & Advocacy Lead for Child Poverty at Save the Children International.
