Childhood is in crisis: This budget must be a lifeline for the most vulnerable

25 October 2024, 08:16 | Updated: 25 October 2024, 08:27

The budget is an opportunity for the UK Government to put children first and reverse years of austerity.

We are living in unprecedented times. At home and around the world, children bear the brunt of conflicts, climate change, and poverty. It is impossible to switch on the news without being confronted with how difficult children’s lives are becoming.

The budget is an opportunity for the UK Government to put children first and reverse years of austerity so that children, wherever they live, have what they need to survive and thrive.

At UNICEF UK, we have been hearing from parents at the sharp end of the UK cost-of-living crisis – they are struggling to afford the basics they need for their baby’s arrival. Others have told us that they're skipping meals to ensure their children eat.

It is difficult to believe this is happening in 2024. Between 2012 and 2021, the UK saw the greatest rise in child poverty rates of the 39 rich OECD/EU nations.

The impacts are being felt by children across the country who are growing up in poverty and face disadvantage from birth.

This is unacceptable.

Globally, the climate crisis and aftermath of COVID-19 have pushed already fragile countries to the brink.

This year, in the biggest global study of its kind, UNICEF found that 1 in 4 children under 5 (181 million worldwide) are experiencing severe child food poverty.

Global conflicts are also having a devastating impact on children. We’re witnessing the world's largest child displacement crisis unfold in Sudan, where an estimated 5 million children have been forced to flee their homes. And 90% of the entire population of Gaza are internally displaced – children have nowhere safe to go.

Life can and should be better for children, both here in the UK and around the world. The UK’s commitment to spend 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance (ODA), enshrined in law, was our nation’s commitment to alleviating poverty, tackling global health crises, and promoting peace and stability.

But devastating cuts to ODA have meant that critical projects providing life’s necessities in the world’s poorest countries have been slashed or terminated with devastating consequences for children.

New UNICEF UK research now shows the impact of these cuts and has found that child-related programmes have been disproportionately impacted by cuts of 57% compared to other programmes which saw 34% cuts.

On top of this, last year, nearly 30% of the ODA budget was being spent in the UK on refugee costs. While the last government provided a vital top-up to the ODA budget to account for spend on refugees in the UK, we have no indication that the same will happen this year.

A reduced and a diverted aid budget means significantly less support for the world’s children, at a time when they face enormous challenges.

The budget must provide an urgent top-up to the ODA budget, and the government must set out a realistic path to return to 0.7 whilst separately funding in-country refugee costs.

Similarly, here in the UK, we will not succeed in reducing the ever-widening gaps in children’s education or health outcomes without taking action to stop children being born into poverty and unable to escape it.

The government must increase financial support for families with children in the UK starting with ending the 2-child limit and the benefit cap.

We know that finances are tight. But we also know that it is not fair that children bear the brunt of economic decisions, the impact of which will follow them through their childhood and throughout their lives.

The world needs a UK Government that leads with its values and one that delivers the urgent action needed to support all children.

Putting the needs of the next generation first could be the greatest achievement of this government and, in doing so, set in motion positive change that reverberates far beyond its own borders.

________________

Dr Philip Goodwin is the Chief Executive Officer of UNICEF UK.

LBC Views provides a platform for diverse opinions on current affairs and matters of public interest.

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official LBC position.

To contact us email views@lbc.co.uk