Are we a third world country now? It certainly feels like it. The extremely rich lord it over us and the rest suffer poverty in so many different ways. There are so many elderly struggling to live on a state pension which is nigh on impossible. They have to go cap in hand to the benefit office even though they have worked hard all their lives and deserve better.
Now let us turn to children. Poverty that is afflicting our society today is increasingly hard on families and their children. Mothers give up meals so that their children can eat. However the most astonishing effect of this is that the disease called Rickets is on the rise again. When did it disappear from our country? The early years of the 20th Century completely destroyed the appearance of this terrible disease. What is it? It is a condition that affects bone development in children. They can suffer from bone pain, poor growth and soft weak bones that can lead to bone deformity. What causes it? It is the lack of vitamin D or calcium in a child’s system. Vitamin D is found in foods such as oily fish or eggs. It is essential for strong healthy bones. One of the main reasons it disappeared was because the food manufacturers fortified items like margarine and cereals with vitamin D. You can get vitamin supplements but these are expensive. You may be eligible for free supplements from the government’s Healthy Start scheme.
It is devastating to realise that Rickets, the disease is back. This is a real indictment of our society today. It is a true indication of child poverty. In 2024, it just should not happen. How dare we allow children to go hungry.
One person who is deeply concerned about this is the footballer Marcus Rashford. He has campaigned to end child poverty and asked the government to offer a guaranteed meal a day to all school children whose families were struggling to survive. He has also called for a full scale review on the free school meals system. This is the problem that children are going to school hungry.
Newport Schools have set up an In-House Food Initiative. They have managed this by gathering faith and civic groups together to pay for it and to work for it. That way the children do not start school feeling hungry. Hunger affects every aspect of your physical and mental functions. It affects concentration,memory, mood and physical skills. In general, children are hungry at school because there is no food at home.
I do know that families on benefits have been told, when they say that the money is not enough to feed their families,” Oh there is a food bank near your home. Go and see then they will help you”. There is no sense of shame.
I have a Swedish friend and when she was over here with me told me that there are no such things as food banks in Sweden. She was shocked to see them. She said that we should have a fairer and more equal society as they have there. She was upset to see how unequal our society is. 30% of all children in the UK live in poverty.
What are the causes of this?
Families have problems such as low pay or zero contract hours. There could be an abusive situation in the family. Sometimes families are quite large and they cannot afford to support themselves. Yes, I know some people will say,” Why have a large family if you cannot afford it” but there are all sorts of reasons why this occurs. It is not for us to judge.
Other causes can be ill-health in the family, housing problems and debt.
The government blames poverty on the war in Ukraine and COVID.
Disabled people also suffer and especially disabled children.
What is particularly catastrophic are the benefit freezes and the 2 child limit and cap on benefits.The two child benefit cap prevents parents from claiming child tax credit or universal credit for more than two children, was introduced in 2017.
The End Child Poverty Coalition shows that removing this cap would lift 250,000 children out of poverty.
Over 3 million children live in poverty at the moment.
Many schools all over the country have to spend money they can ill-afford on providing breakfasts for the children. This money should be spent on books or computers or buildings which are falling apart. BUT the children must be fed.
In Wales specifically, 18% of children in low income families have worried about being hungry. From these families, 24% have missed out on a school trip, 19% do not have the right materials for homework and 20% do not have the right clothing. £0% have not had a birthday party, 24% are unable to play with or meet friends and 24% are unable to play a sport.
24% said their mental health has been negatively affected, 16% have been bullied due to lack of money and 26% of girls say their mental health has been negatively affected compared with 16%of boys.
I owe this information to the wonderful Bevan Foundation who works so hard for the people of Wales.
