A new study by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) shows that 8.8 million children in Argentina live in economic poverty or are deprived of at least one basic human right. 

“Poverty is more than lack of income. To live through the first stages of life in poverty means not going to school or falling behind, not having access to basic services, as well as other deprivations,” said UNICEF Argentina representative Luisa Brumana.

UNICEF uses a multidimensional definition of poverty, which extends beyond economic deprivation and considers the lack of access to human rights defined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: education, social protection, adequate housing, sanitation, access to safe water and a safe home. 

The study uses data from the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC) which indicates that 51.5% of children live in economic poverty. That number jumps to 66% when rights deprivation is taken into account. Of those 8.8 million children, 90% have at least one parent who is employed.

“The type of employment makes a difference. The poverty rate of children goes down by 32% when they live with people that are formally employed and rises by 60% when they live with informally-employed adults,” said Sebastián Waisgrais, UNICEF Argentina’s Inclusion Specialist. 

“This allows us to observe that you can’t take people out of poverty by creating any type of employment, but decent employment, that is to say, protected and quality [jobs].”

28% of children (3.7 million) face both economic poverty and are deprived of at least one human right simultaneously.

UNICEF partnered for the first time with La Poderosa, a social organization that works in low-income neighborhoods, to provide a more in-depth perspective on the everyday lives of those living in poverty through interviews. The study focuses on the work of women and highlights the importance of community support networks.

“40 years on from the return of democracy and in an electoral context, we believe that it’s fundamental for society to reach a consensus on the urgent need to progressively reduce child poverty in all its dimensions,” said Brumana.