1 in 4 Arab children live in poverty, report finds

According to a study released by the U.N. children's agency UNICEF on Monday, one in four children in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) live in poverty. 

The study, based on an analysis of 11 countries including Egypt, Iraq, Morocco and Yemen, found that "29 million children were deprived of two or more basic life necessities." These include, education, proper housing and safe drinking water. 

Speaking of the latest findings at a conference in Rabat, Morocco, Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) said: “Child poverty is about so much more than family income – it’s about access to quality education, healthcare, a home and safe water. When children are deprived of the basics, they are at risk of getting trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty.” 

In a statement, UNICEF said that the study is considered one of the first to pull together data on child poverty across the region. 

Its findings reveal that lack of education is a key driver of poverty among young people, with "children who live in households that are headed by an uneducated family member," being twice as likely to live in poverty. 

"One quarter of children aged 5 to 17 are not enrolled in school or have fallen two grades behind." 

According to the study, almost half of all children in the region live in overcrowded housing and millions are not fully immunized or were born to mothers who did not get enough antenatal care or birth assistance.    

The key findings also showed that "one in five children are forced to walk more than 30 minutes to fetch water or use unsafe drinking water." 

UNICEF stated that "major challenges stand in the way of measuring the impact of poverty on children and taking collective action towards poverty alleviation" in the region. 

This is mainly because of widespread violence and displacement throughout many countries, which prevents the consistent collection of accurate data. 

The "absence of a full understanding of children’s reality, including the most marginalized or invisible, risks that existing policies and actions fall short from addressing child poverty effectively," the organization concluded in their statement.