They demand more investment in childhood and that through the new Children’s Law there be a follow-up of the actions in this matter
The president of the UNICEF Committee of Murcia, Amparo Marzal, has alerted the Special Commission for Children and Adolescents of the Regional Assembly that 10,000 children in the Region are in a situation of severe material poverty and that 100,000 children in the Region are still at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
Marzal, who has inaugurated the appearances before this commission, has transferred to the parliamentarians the data that concern them and suggestions to improve the situation. In that sense, he has stated that they are very concerned about the inequality that is being experienced. The 10,000 children who are in a situation of severe material poverty cannot afford, as he has said, a week of vacation a year or eat meat or fish twice a week or face unforeseen expenses.
“Although there is a certain positive trend, the extremes are now greater, inequality has worsened,” he warned before recalling data such as the child poverty rate standing at 33% or that although the index has improved by 4 points dropout rates, there are still 18.7% of young people who drop out of school.
On a digital level, he has indicated that “there are few limits on the part of families” or that there are difficulties for all children to have access to the Internet.
The Commission has also addressed the problem of Mental Health, “the cases of self-harm or suicidal tendency have multiplied by three after the pandemic,” he said.
The president of UNICEF has demanded from the parliamentary groups that a “concrete political and social commitment to children and for children” come out of this commission. She also hopes that the new Children’s Law “can collect the reality of the Region from the point of view of children and request a follow-up by the Government and the Assembly of the agreements adopted on children.”
Likewise, it has requested that at least 5% of the European Social Fund be allocated to European child guarantee issues to attend to all vulnerable groups and that the management of said item “be as transparent as possible”.
parliamentary groups
On behalf of the parliamentary groups, the PP deputy Maruja Pelegrín has warned that better coordination is needed between the three public administrations in policies for children and adolescents. “The concept of child poverty in Spain is worrying, and unfortunately our Region cannot isolate itself from this phenomenon,” she said.
The socialist Toñi Abenza has recalled that they have asked the Assembly to organize plenary sessions on Children and Adolescents. “In the Region we suffer from structural poverty,” she said, criticizing the PP for “always talking about the national government when talking about data on poverty in the Region.” The socialist has said that they are going to present an initiative to create an Observatory for Children in the Region “and we can follow up on the pact for children signed in 2016 and of which nothing has yet been done.”
From the liberal parliamentary group, Francisco Álvarez recalled that the Children’s Law contemplates the creation of both the Autonomous Observatory and the Council for Children and Adolescents, in which UNICEF could be integrated as well as other related social agents.
Finally, María Marín, from the Mixed Group, has assured that “We can work for Children and Adolescents in the Region is a priority.” The parliamentarian has shown that “all the data and socioeconomic indicators in the Region related to childhood are dramatic and we have a very high percentage of minors in a situation of poverty and social exclusion.”
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