Child poverty - We are all to blame for this neglect

THE children’s charity Barnardos yesterday reported that the Celtic tiger boom years did little enough to reduce persistently high rates of child poverty.

If current trends continue we may all begin to wonder what the Celtic tiger did for any of us; whether it was just some outlandish reality television show or maybe just some pirate ship that slipped by in the night.

Though the Barnardos report underlined the continuing vulnerability of children born in economically disadvantaged communities, it also predicted that the majority of Irish children face futures considerably brighter than the one their parents did.

This prediction should, however, be regarded with just a modicum of caution because it is likely that the research the report is based on was completed before the full extent of our economic difficulties became apparent.

Nevertheless, the report suggests that tomorrow’s children will grow up in families much smaller than the traditional Irish unit and will have no more than one or two siblings. Like children everywhere they are expected to work abroad at some stage and change jobs far more frequently than is the norm today.

The author of the report, Brian Harvey, anticipates that they will have to work until they are 70 years old, be more environmentally conscious and be under greater government surveillance and face more problems with identity theft.

There is nothing startling in any of these predictions but, like all other social crystal-ball-gazing in these days of great flux, they must be seen for what they are. After all it is not so very long ago that we were told that the leisure society was just around the corner and that computers would greatly reduce the proportion of our lives we would have to dedicate to work.

What cannot be taken with a grain of salt is the fact that the Celtic tiger bonanza did not deal with persistently high rates of child poverty and that, according to Barnardos, one in nine children live below the bread line. The report also suggests that about one in five children face poverty-related problems and lack access to healthcare, housing or education. Though that figure seems very high these issues of denial shape the lives of far too many of our children.

What is undoubtedly true is that during the low-tax boom years we neither fulfilled our obligations to the weaker members of society or, in reality, gave them much more than a moment’s thought.

Now, as we face into high-tax recession years we will have neither the capacity or inclination to confront the problem.

Let them eat cake indeed.

Be that as it may Barnardos criticised the recent budget for not taking the tough decisions needed to address child poverty.

“Government priorities do not lie in tackling the persistent inequality and disadvantage facing children...” said the organisation. “Given the current economic crisis, this is a critical time to look back at how we have responded to the needs of our most vulnerable children and young people and to look forward at what we need to do... to create a more equal Ireland for all our children.”

There you have it in a nutshell. It’s all well and fine to blame the Government but as has been seen on so many other issues politicians act only if it is impossible for them not to. We, by our silence, are complicit in not confronting child poverty.