Bulgarian Children Europe's 2nd Most Deprived - UNICEF
Society | June 1, 2012, Friday // 12:23| viewsA total of 56% of all Bulgarian children suffer from deprivation, which places the country 28th among 29 European states assessed by UNICEF's Report Card 10 study.
Only the children of Romania are living in worst conditions, as a total of 72% of them are deprived, the study has shown.
Report Card 10 defines a child (aged 1 to 16) as 'deprived' if he or she lacks two or more of a list of 14 basic items, including three meals a day, books suitable for the child's age and knowledge level, money to participate in school trips and events, an Internet connection, and a quiet place with enough room and light to do homework, among others.
Less that 3% of all children in Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands are considered deprived.
The data are drawn from the 2009 round of the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC).
The study has also ranked 35 economically advanced countries in terms of relative child poverty (the percentage of children living in a household in which disposable income, when adjusted for family size and composition, is less than 50% of the national median income.) The percentage in Bulgaria is 17.8%, which places it 32nd, followed only by Latvia, USA and Romania.
Friday marks the International Children's Day, established in 1925 during the World Conference for the Well-being of Children in Geneva, Switzerland.
Back