Assumes significance in view of harnessing the potential of demographic dividend since majority of children live in India
By Dr T Prabhakara Reddy, Dr Sanjay Asthana
Hyderabad: Absolute poverty has been defined as a condition characterised by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to social services. To make the definition of poverty comprehensive, non-income aspects have been added to its concept. In this context, it is appropriate to cite the definition of UNICEF which goes beyond the income parameter and discusses the deprivation of other non-income parameters which are equally important for estimating multidimensional poverty.
Defining Poverty
UNICEF’s definition of children in poverty moves considerably beyond income to “deprivation of the material, spiritual and emotional resources needed to survive, develop and thrive, leaving them unable to enjoy their rights, achieve their full potential or participate as full and equal members of society”. Besides, the principle of epistemic inclusiveness is employed to conceptualise and measure poverty that acknowledges children’s experiences, knowledge and priorities.
In fact, India has a population of 1.28 billion people, including 478 million children of which around 29% are 0-5 years old (UNICEF, December 2017). A majority of this 29% are facing abject poverty due to a lack of nutritious food, drinking water, healthcare and immunisation, etc. Therefore, child poverty reduction assumes significance in view of harnessing the potential of demographic dividend since the majority of children are living in India.
‘Child Poverty Reduction’ is a phrase that gets wrapped up in theoretical jargon and policy semantics. In terms of a meaningful set of on-the-ground programmes, it woefully lags behind. From terminological definitions to concrete implementation, it has remained a vexed issue despite the global and national efforts to combat the social problem of child poverty. In its 2019 report, published before the onset of Covid-19, the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) revealed that children under age 18 years bear the greatest burden of multidimensional poverty. The pandemic has exacerbated child poverty in multifarious ways.
Multidimensional Approach
The MPI is based on a set of objective criteria that seeks to measure a person’s deprivations across three equally weighted dimensions – health, education and standard of living. The three dimensions are subdivided into 10 indicators. For example, under health, the two indicators are nutrition and child mortality; education – years of schooling and school attendance. Under the standard of living, there are 6 indicators – cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing and assets.
Though MPI dimensions and indicators gauge the levels of poverty, they preclude a proper understanding of child poverty in the context of the Global South. For instance, politico-economic and socio-cultural factors in rural, peri-urban and urban working-class families, and kinship networks are complex that often fall outside MPI’s purview. To this end, several qualitative small-scale studies offer critical insights into developing robust child poverty alleviation strategies that are context- and region-specific within a State like developing social protection programmes tailored to the needs of children in a given socio-cultural setting.
A micro-level study with the ‘Participatory Identification of Poor’ approach was undertaken to understand child poverty by applying the multidimensional poverty concept in Hyderabad. It was found that 60% of children are multidimensionally poor while the remaining are severely multidimensionally poor. Thirty-five percent explained the need for parental care. Besides, violence and abuse are equated with child poverty, by girls, while trafficking is noticed in poor families.
Data Critical
The UNICEF’s research office through the Multidimensional Overlapping Deprivation Analysis (MODA) has offered a sustained critique of the MPI with the intention of moving the discussion forward, especially in relation to measuring as well as engaging with ground realities influencing child poverty in the Global South. Hence, a more robust set of data, quantitative as well as qualitative, that can illuminate the causes of child poverty so as to develop mitigation strategies and policy guidelines is needed. A variety of local, regional, national, and global events and conjunctures precipitate the severity of child poverty that requires a careful and calibrated response. According to the 2019 Indian Human Development Survey, poverty is three times higher in households with children.
This survey was done before the onset of the pandemic. With the pandemic, the figures are grim and there is a dire need to mount quick and effective strategies and policies. For instance, children have fallen into poverty as parents lost their jobs due to Covid. In addition, the pandemic exacerbated the challenge of learning as schools were shut. A pronounced impact of the government school closures, especially in some States, has been on the mid-day meal programme. Here, indicators under health and education cross-cut and overlap; one is an essential precondition to the other.
The potential losses that accrue in terms of lack of food lead to malnourishment and disease. These have a cascading and direct bearing on learning for the younger generation and for the development of their human capital. The government has started e-learning to impart education to the children and there is a need for more information, solidarity and action. Therefore, continuity of child-centred services with equity and practical support to parents and caregivers is essential.
Critical Reforms
There is an urgent need for child budgeting and child-responsive social protection systems that are institutionalised, prioritising structural reforms and easing financial burdens apart from efforts to prevent the deepening and broadening of child poverty. Further, securing the right to basic needs for all families with reforms to food assistance, housing support and healthcare programmes is critical. The State and local governments must take care of children in low-income families, design social protection schemes – conditional/unconditional – for identified vulnerable children and families and ensure that children get financial support. Consequently, they may not fall into poverty and may continue their education without any barriers.
This apart, it is equally important to involve all stakeholders, including local government, civil society and self-help groups. Prioritising structural reforms that address intergenerational poverty and historic marginalisation with policies that target income inequalities and inequitable school systems among others should become a priority.
(Dr T Prabhakara Reddy is ex-consultant, UNICEF, Indonesia, and Independent Researcher based in Hyderabad. Dr Sanjay Asthana is Professor in School of Journalism and Strategic Media, Middle Tennessee State University, US)