Photo: Ann-Sofi Rosenkvist/imagebank.sweden.se

Child poverty

A number of reports on child poverty clearly show that groups at greatest risk of growing up in economically disadvantaged conditions in the Nordic countries are children of single mothers and children with foreign-born parents. Both of these factors increase the risk of children being exposed to difficult economic circumstances. These factors are compounded when they occur together, and a clear pattern of unequal economic conditions emerges. For example, a Swedish report showed that more than half of all children – 53.4 per cent – who have a single parent with a foreign background lived in economic vulnerability, compared to only 2 per cent of children with two parents born in Sweden (Salonen et al., 2021). Growing up in poverty has a strong negative impact on children’s ability to realise their rights and improved life opportunities.

Many dimensions of poverty

Parents’ educational backgrounds, economic position, housing conditions, physical and mental health, relationships with substance abuse and attachment to the labour market all affect children’s living conditions and life opportunities. Children who grow up in poor families often experience the negative consequences of the above areas. There is also a risk that children who grow up in poor families will end up in the low-income group as adults, and that poverty is thus inherited. In the past, significant attention has been focused on the material aspects of child poverty, but research has revealed that more dimensions need to be considered, with many aspects of life affected by growing up in poverty (see, for example, Hyggen et al., 2018).

The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs lists some of the main ones (Bufdir, 2023):

Housing Children living in poor families are more likely to have to move out of their neighbourhood. They often live in inferior and more crowded housing.
Health Living in poverty can lead to poorer health and quality of life. Children living in poor families are more likely to suffer from both physical and mental health problems in the short and long term. There are social inequalities related to coping skills, social support, stress and loneliness. Children in low-income families can experience high levels of anxiety that affect daily life. Poor finances can also cause conflict within families and affect the mental health of parents.
School School is an important aspect of children’s development and should provide equal opportunities for learning and development for all children. School is recognised as an important tool to prevent continued poverty when children become adults. At the same time, children who grow up in poverty can face a number of obstacles on the way to completing their education. For example, despite the principle of free education, participation in activities can be limited by financial resources. This can in turn affect social inclusion and well-being. Children living in poor families may experience anxiety about both their parents and themselves, which can lead to difficulties concentrating and poorer school performance. Some children also do not get the support they need with their schoolwork at home.
Social communities Loneliness and feelings of exclusion can be a consequence of poverty. More and more children and young people feel marginalised due to poor economic conditions. Young people from poor families are more likely to lack close friends and are also more vulnerable to bullying.
Leisure activities Children who live in low-income families are less likely to participate in organised leisure activities than other children. This means that they may miss out on an important arena for promoting their health where they can socialise and develop as people.
Risk of continued poverty Living in poverty as a child can also have consequences for future opportunities. Children who grow up in low-income households are more likely to fall into the low-income group themselves when they become adults.

Domestic violence – a common cause of child homelessness

The lists above, created by the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs, outlines the consequences of poverty. A report by Save the Children (Samzelius, 2017) adds further dimensions to this and takes a different starting point: poverty, with a particular focus on homelessness as a consequence of violence.

The report shows that the same groups of children who are most likely to grow up in poverty in Sweden are also those most likely to become homeless – children of single mothers and foreign-born parents. Increasingly, insecure housing is both a consequence of economic vulnerability and a cause of children growing up in poverty. Women’s shelters and other civil society organisations also report a growing trend of children and mothers who have been victims of domestic violence being excluded from the housing market after spending time in women’s shelters or in protected accommodation.

Among families with a single mother, domestic violence was the most common reason for homelessness. Many families had first stayed in sheltered accommodation and then either been placed in temporary accommodation by social services or in hostels/hotels. A previous survey in the city of Stockholm found that 19 per cent of these families were homeless as a result of domestic violence. Homelessness is also increasing among newly arrived families with children where the parents are still in the process of establishing themselves or are in insecure employment. These may be families who initially arranged to live with relatives or friends or families who only received short-term contracts when they were placed in the municipality (Samzelius, 2017).

WHAT DOES THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD SAY?

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) clearly states that all children have the right to a standard of living that meets their needs for physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development. Parents have the primary responsibility for ensuring the necessary living conditions for a child’s development. At the same time, it is important to remember that the Convention is also clear that this must be realised with consideration for the capacity and financial resources of the parents. The State Party also has a responsibility to take appropriate measures, in accordance with national circumstances and within its resources, to assist parents and others responsible for the child in realising this right. Where necessary, the State shall provide material assistance and support programmes, in particular with regard to food, clothing and housing.