{"id":166003,"date":"2024-11-22T08:11:16","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T14:11:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/?p=166003"},"modified":"2024-11-26T15:16:36","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T21:16:36","slug":"child-poverty-in-mexico-and-latin-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/human-social\/child-poverty-in-mexico-and-latin-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Half of Mexican Children Under Six Are Living in Poverty"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Poverty is one of the main early challenges that children face. In Latin America and the Caribbean, 35% of children under five live in poverty. Nearly half of children under six in Mexico are in this situation, meaning around 4.9 million kids<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martha Rubio<\/strong>, Lead Economist at the Social Protection and Health Division of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), explained these figures during her participation in the virtual discussion Challenging Inequalities: How to Close the Gaps in Early Childhood Development<\/em> at the Second International Early Childhood Forum<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“While poverty has decreased overall, in Mexico, this reduction has been slower among children than in other population groups. In many countries, if we look at how poverty is distributed, it\u2019s concentrated mostly among children<\/strong>, not so much in the adult or elderly population,” Rubio said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added that this situation is particularly serious because poverty is linked to factors that limit children\u2019s health, nutrition, and overall development\u2014both cognitive and socio-emotional<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, children face food insecurity, with low intake of essential macro and micronutrients, unsafe drinking water, substandard housing, and limited access to basic healthcare services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discussion, moderated by Sindy Gonz\u00e1lez<\/strong>, Manager of Early Childhood Programs at FEMSA Foundation, also featured Carolina Freire<\/strong>, a specialist from the IDB’s Social Protection and Health Division, and included a video conference with Romina Tom\u00e9<\/strong>, Senior Associate at the same division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Second International Early Childhood Forum took place at the Monterrey campus. (Photo: Alejandro Salazar \/ TecScience)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Child Poverty in Mexico and Latin America<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since 1989, when the Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted as a global commitment to protect and promote children’s development, significant progress has been made in reducing child poverty and chronic malnutrition among children under five in Latin America and the Caribbean, with reductions of 40% and 20%, respectively, said Tom\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, other issues have been identified<\/strong>. For instance, 88% of children under three and 30% of preschool-aged children still do not have access to early childhood care services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, among children whose mothers have only completed primary education, nine out of ten have fewer than three children’s books, and half don’t play regularly with their parents\u2014an essential activity for cognitive and socio-emotional development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the age of five, children of mothers with primary education have language skills equivalent to children aged three and a half whose mothers have higher education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This is not just a difference in vocabulary; it\u2019s a difference in opportunities. Inequalities begin early in life and widen over time<\/strong>,” said Tom\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added that investing in high-quality early childhood development programs yields a 13.7% annual return on investment<\/strong>, while the cost of inaction in the region amounts to 1.6% of GDP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These issues are compounded by challenges affecting children and their families in the region, such as migration flows<\/a>, the consequences of climate change, and the mental health problems<\/strong> of both children and their caregivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These inequalities are more pronounced among children living in rural Indigenous areas, who\u2014on top of poverty\u2014experience more significant gaps in access to basic services essential for their comprehensive development, said Freire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“For example, in some indigenous communities, only 32% of preschool-aged children attend school<\/strong>, while in urban areas, the attendance rate exceeds 67%. These gaps also lead to inequalities in the future,” she commented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The IDB\u2019s Agenda for Finding Solutions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To address the early childhood challenges in the Latin American and Caribbean region<\/strong>, the IDB has established a working agenda and presented a Sectoral Framework Document during the Second International Early Childhood Forum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The expert shared that the bank\u2019s division is currently working on six key areas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n