One in Five French Children Lives In Poverty: Unicef
KABUL: (Middle East Press) Unicef issued a statement on Tuesday that one in five children in France lives in poverty.
The UN agency devoted to children’s rights revealed that around 30,000 children in France are homeless, while 9,000 live in slums and 140,000 drop out of school each year.
“Our report is an alarm call that should push French authorities to take urgent and efficient action for every child,” said Unicef France chief Michele Barzach.
The report detailed how between 2008 and 2012 an extra 440,000 children fell into poverty.
UNICEF France said it had published the report as part of its work in overseeing the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which France has ratified. The rights group said it had made 36 specific recommendations to France’s government as part of the report.
UN agency figures also revealed that 28% of youths aged six to 18 has had suicidal thoughts, according to a 2014 survey on 11,232 children.
Barzach added that despite the shocking statistics, France was still a far better place to be born and raised than many other countries. However she said: “France has failed in part with regards to childhood and youth.”
