‘UNACCEPTABLE’: One in four Spanish children could face poverty by 2030

ONE in four children in Spain will continue to be at risk of poverty by 2030, an NGO has forecast.

Save the Children said in its The Future Where We Want To Grow report that 26.5 per cent of children would face poverty unless “urgent” action was taken.

It comes as government figures released by Spain’s High Commissioner of Child Poverty showed one in three children, 2.2 million, are currently at risk of poverty. Spain came third Europe for child poverty levels after Romania and Bulgaria, according to the High Commissioner.

Andres Conde, director of Save the Children, said future generations would be condemned to poverty unless action was taken.

“La tasa actual de pobreza infantil en España es de 28,3%. En el año 2030 uno de cada cuatro niños y niñas seguirá estando en situación de pobreza, un 26,5%. La pobreza se cronifica si no actuamos cuanto antes”, explica @AndresCondeSave en rueda de prensa. #FuturoInfancia pic.twitter.com/BGDE5uOHBP

— Save the Children Es (@SaveChildrenEs) February 8, 2019

“Our estimated percentages of child poverty in 2030 are very high and unacceptable. We will continue paying for the consequences of our current short-sightedness in the future,” Conde said.

Save the Children said child poverty is estimated to cut GDP by around 5 per cent. Obesity, dropping out of school and low productivity later in life are all linked to or caused by child poverty, the NGO said.

Better child support payments, ensuring access to education for children aged three and under, healthcare improvements and extending maternity and paternity leave would lower child poverty, Save the Children said.