Lesotho: More Than Half of Children Live in Poverty –UNICEF

By Staff Writer

Maseru---As the world commemorates the 22nd Anniversary of Convention on the rights of the Child (CRC) this week, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Government of Lesotho Tuesday released new statistics, which showed worsening social outcomes for Lesotho’s children and revealed that 52 per cent of Lesotho’s children were living in absolute poverty. 

The new data is from the country’s latest Child Poverty Study, which was conducted in 2010. The study highlighted that half of Lesotho’s children live below the national poverty line, living on less than a US$ 1.50 per day and that over half of the country’s faced two or more deprivations on basics, critical for child wellbeing. In addition the study also showed the harsh impact of growing economic challenges, and HIV/AIDS epidemic on the country’s children.

“One in two children under the age of18 years is living in household that is below the national poverty line and 52 per cent of the country’s children are deprived of two or more areas critical for their well-being,” said the UNICEF Representative in Lesotho, Dr. Ahmed Magan.

The study, which categorized poverty into three areas of economic, deprivation and mortality, sought to investigate the extent and causes of child poverty and its impact on outcomes for children. Severe deprivations were measured in the areas of access to food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health care, shelter, education and information.

The study also linked the rise in under-five mortality from 71 per 1 000 live births in 1997 to 117 deaths per 1000 live births  due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, as children are infected through mother-to-child transmission.

Further, the study highlighted that the levels of poverty were often determined by factors such as whether the children lived in urban areas, which ecological areas they stayed in, their family’s wealthy quintile and the mother’s level of education. For instance the percentage with at least one deprivation is 46 per cent in urban areas, compared with 86 per cent of children in rural regions. The study shows that if the mother has secondary or higher education then 61 per cent of the children have at least one deprivation, for mother with primary education the deprivation percentage increases to 87 per cent, while this figure jumps to 91 per cent for children with uneducated mothers.

Commenting on the findings of the study UNICEF representative said the status of children was a result of the country’s economic challenges and a persistent HIV/AIDS pandemic. “As we commemorate the CRC annivessary, it is vital that we remember,  Lesotho’s  children who are in a very  unique situation, where flagging economic fortunes and a persistent AIDS pandemic has devastated an entire nation and depleted coping mechanisms,” he said. “It is imperative that everyone plays their part, from families, communities, civil society (NGOs), the Government and the UN we all need to ensure that these children do not fall between the cracks."

The study recommended the swift implementation of key policies, increased investment on Lesotho’s children, renewed focus on early childhood development and a deliberate emphasis on the children that are most in need. UNICEF with the support from the European Union provided technical support to the government led study, which provided the socio-economic status of Lesotho’s children.