Child Poverty in Bulgaria

Child poverty in Bulgaria

Child poverty and social exclusion are a denial of children’s fundamental human rights, which can affect their development today and undermine the realization of their full potential in future. Viewed through the lens of children’s rights, child poverty is understood as multi-dimensional, encompassing not only income deprivation, but also other forms of deprivation and loss of dignity – lack of access to appropriate housing, education, health services, and a more general lack of opportunity in society. The dimensions of disadvantage and deprivation are interrelated and interdependent – for example, if a child is living in overcrowded accommodation, located in a poor environment, this may contribute to poor health, low educational attainment and undermine life chances. Conversely, access to sufficient family income, supportive care, decent housing, and good quality health care, will have a positive impact on a child’s life, both now and into the future. [1]

The situation in fact and figures

326157 children in Bulgaria live at risk of poverty according to the EU-SILC 2008 data. This represents 26 % as compared with 21.4 % for the total populationand is one of the highest in Europe. A national child-at-risk of poverty rate identifies the proportion of children living under the national poverty risk threshold in a given country. It is essential to complement this information with the national poverty risk gap/relative median at-risk-of-poverty gap[2], which indicates “how poor the poor children are” – that is the depth of child poverty risk. The poverty risk gap for children varies from 13 % in Finland and 15 % in France to 40 % in Romania and 44 % in Bulgaria.[3]

Given that EU-SILK data is collected through households, it should be noted that information is still missing on the most vulnerable groups, namely on children in alternative care, street children,separated children and migrant children. It is crucial that research is undertaken and data on these groups collectedin order to be able to address correctly their specific needs.

The preliminary results of the Crisis Monitoring Survey carried out by World Bank and Open Society Institute in Feb/March 2010[4] shows that the economic crisis has further hit the most vulnerable and the poor.

Fig. 1. Crisis Monitoring Survey carried out by World Bank and Open Society Institute in Feb/March 2010.

The data shows that every third family in Bulgaria with two or more children up to 6 years old is poor. 54 % of the poor households have children. Poor households reported reducing essential expenditure as lighting, heat and water; necessary clothing and food due to economic hardship. They have also reduced investments in health – almost 20 % stopped buying regular medicines and 10 % don’t visit the doctor after falling ill.

Fig.2 shows the unevenly distributed impact of the crisis across ethnic groups.

Government actions

Reducing child poverty and setting up conditions for social inclusion of children is a key objective of the National Child Strategy 2008 – 2018. Another positive development is the inclusion of a quantified target for the reduction of child poverty in the National Action Plan/inclusion. [5] The quantified target to be achieved by 2020 is a reduction with 78000 children which is 30 % of the general national target and approximately 24 % of the number of children at risk of poverty in 2008.

However, despite the ambitious objectives and targets and the measures outlined in the written documents, there’s still a poor track record of their implementation. There’s no specification of the resources available to implement measures and exactly which Ministries or agencies are responsible for delivering them. This issue becomes even more acute in a period when economic decline means that resources are likely to become scarcer and expenditure cut-backs. Given the inter-dependent nature of the problem, child poverty and well-being must be addressed across a range of policy areas. Such an integrated approach requires formal arrangements to co-ordinate the efforts of all actors horizontally (across different government departments) and vertically (between different levels of governance). If no such mechanisms are put in place, policies are likely to be fragmented and less efficient and there is a danger that the impact of policies on children is ignored or under-valued.[6]

The newly established at the Council of Ministers National Council for Social Inclusion which consists of various government and non-governmental stakeholders is a step in the right direction to ensure integrated horizontal approach however mechanisms to ensure vertical co-ordination should be also strengthened.

Early childhood education and care offers enormous opportunities for societies to reduce poverty, inequality and disadvantage. Educational disadvantage is strongly associated with home background and becomes measurable even before formal schooling begins: three-year-old children of more educated parents, for example, often have double the vocabulary of children from poorer, less educated homes and are significantly more likely to achieve higher qualifications by the age of 15. A significant body of research supports the idea that offering good quality early education and care to all children tends to reduce disadvantages.

The National Child Strategy 2008-2018 envisages the development and introduction in practice of early childhood standards. However, this is another area where there’s no clarity when and how this would be implemented.

Policy recommendations

The National Network for Children – Bulgaria is an umbrella organization of 73 non-governmental organizations working with children and families. The organization is a member of Eurochild, an European network of organizations and individuals working in and across Europe to promote the rights and welfare of children.We support the concluding statements of Eurochild’s annual conference, held in Örebro, Sweden from 3-5 November 2010:

Brighter futures for many children in Europe are currently threatened. Decisions taken by governments’ across the EU in response to the crisis, risk jeopardizing millions of children’s quality of life and their overall life chances. In this era of austerity measures it is more important than ever that organisations committed to children’s rights and welfare work in partnership and promote a common message.

Every child has equal rights, to all rights, as defined in the UNCRC. Children’s rights are indivisible and this understanding must underpin policies to fight child poverty. Policies make a difference. Governments have a responsibility to support families to protect and promote their children’s best interest, as well as ensuring every child can access high quality education, health, housing, leisure, sports, culture and arts. A child rights approach recognizes and nurtures children’s own agency and evolving capacities. Involvement and empowerment of children and families is therefore a key component of successful policy and practice intervention.

Recommendations to the EU

1. Organisations working for the rights and welfare of children recognize the importance of the European Union as a key driver of reform within Member States. Entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty is an important step forward as it makes protection of children’s rights a specific objective of the EU. It is crucial the EU respect this obligation and now adopts a comprehensive and ambitious EU strategy on the rights of the child ensuring all relevant EU policy and programmes reflect the principles enshrined in the UNCRC, and supporting EU member states in their efforts to apply the UNCRC at national level.

2. The introduction of commitment to lifting 20 million people out of poverty over the next 10 years in the Europe2020 strategy is welcomed. However, the seeds of poverty and social exclusion are sown in childhood, and a specific priority is necessary to address inequalities faced by children from their youngest years. The EU should pressure member states to adopt specific targets to reduce child poverty and provide policy guidance through the adoption of a Recommendation on child poverty and well-being. In particular we acknowledge the value and importance of cross-country comparisons and benchmarking tools to monitor and push for progress.

3. The EU policy framework to fight child poverty must promote a multi-dimensional approach based on a clear understanding of children’s rights. It is important to demonstrate evidence that child poverty cannot be tackled through a focus on labour market activation alone. Many parents cannot work and across the EU in-work poverty is growing. A child rights approach protects and promotes children’s best interest regardless of their parent’s employment situation. A common framework against child poverty should focus on families’ access to adequate income (including but not limited to access to the labour market), as well as children’s access to high quality services. The importance of listening to and empowering children in all types of policy intervention must be emphasized.

Recommendations to the Member States

4. In times of fiscal consolidation and public spending cuts, it is crucial that budgets targeting on children and families are protected and increased. Investment in universal, high quality education, early years, family support and health promotion (among other services) provide the bedrock of a more equal society and will save costs in the future. Universal services must be coupled with targeted interventions for the most vulnerable ensuring a strong safety net for all children. Governments can and should strive to improve service efficiency and impact, but never at the cost of undermining their ability to deliver a quality service to all. Governments must invest in training and capacity building of professionals working with and for children and families.

5. Member states should strengthen cooperation and exchange at an EU level on child poverty and well-being and lend their support to the Trio Presidency declaration calling for a Commission Recommendation in 2011. In setting their Europe 2020 targets, member states should adopt a specific target on the reduction of child poverty. Targets must be accompanied by realistic, achievable national, regional and local strategies to fight child poverty and social exclusion.

6. National action to address child poverty and social exclusion must support partnership and cooperation with different stakeholders. Coordination across different levels of governance and across different departments is essential. Involvement of civil society, practitioners, parents and children and young people themselves in policy and practice design, implementation and monitoring ensures better accountability, engagement and commitment and ultimately better policies and outcomes for children.

Recommendations to Eurochild & its members

7. Children’s rights are still poorly understood and applied in policy making across the EU. The Eurochild network can raise awareness of the UNCRC and its influence on decision-making among policy makers, practitioners, parents and children. The fight against child poverty and social exclusion cannot be separated from children’s rights. It is important to show how recognition of children as subjects of rights changes policy design and implementation and produces better outcomes for children.

8. Focusing Eurochild’s work on the UNCRC creates a uniting force that brings together stakeholders across all sectors and professions. The conference has demonstrated with many interesting good practice examples how working together makes a difference to children’s lives. The Eurochild network aims to provide a platform for all organisations and individuals committed to the rights and welfare of children and young people in Europe. This diversity is its strength.

9. Eurochild has an obligation to ensure the voices and concerns of children and young people themselves are heard and taken into account. This conference – as previous Eurochild events – has demonstrated the creativity, insights and energy brought by children and young people to the debate. We also heard how different projects successfully empower and involve children to find the best long-term solutions to poverty and social exclusion. Children’s participation must be an integral part of our work and our efforts to promote children’s well-being and inclusion.

Dani Koleva

Policy Director

National Network for Children-Bulgaria

8 Dec 2010

References

Review of Bulgarian legislation, policies and practices regarding the rights of the child, National Network for Children - Bulgaria, June 2010,

Hugh Frazer, Eric Marlier and Ides Nicaise, A social inclusion roadmap for Europe 2020, 2010

Preliminary results of the Crisis Monitoring Survey, World Bank and Open Society Institute, Feb/March 2010,

Eurochild, A child rights approach to child poverty: Discussion paper, 2007

A review of the 2008-2010 National strategy reports on social protection and social inclusion, Eurochild,

Eurochild’s Annual Conference 2010, Concluding statements:

Billson A. and Markova G. ,“But you should see their families: preventing child abandonment and promoting social inclusion in countries in transition” Social Work and Social Science Review Volume 12, Number 3, 2007

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[1]Eurochild, A child rights approach to child poverty: Discussion paper, 2007

[2]Measures the distance between the median equivalised income of people living below the poverty risk threshold and the value of that poverty risk threshold and is expressed as a percentage of the threshold.

[3]Hugh Frazer, Eric Marlier and Ides Nicaise, A social inclusion roadmap for Europe 2020, 2010

[4]

[5]Specific charter of the streamlined “National Strategy Reports on Social Protection and Social Inclusion” since 2006.

[6]Frazer and Marlier: A social inclusion map for Europe 2020, 2010