Children are waiting

Government policies are punishing innocent children trapped in poverty

- INNES ASHER

Many children in this country live in poverty, meaning their families do not have enough income and resources for the basics of a healthy life. As a paediatrician, I witnessed the surge in preventable diseases in the mid-1990s, resulting in many more children in hospital, some of whom were permanently damaged. I joined the Child Poverty Action Group to try to understand what was happening.

It was a revelation to see how the benefit cuts of the early 1990s were quickly followed by escalating child poverty levels - the proportion doubled within 1-2 years. Poor health outcomes also dramatically increased, and they are still evident today, nearly 30 years later. These come at a terrible cost to the children, their families, and the community.