One in Three Children in Armenia Poor and Deprived: UNICEF

YEREVAN (PanARMENIAN.Net) — Almost one in three children are both poor and socially deprived in Armenia, the United Nations’ children agency said in a report Monday, September 26.
For children, besides its monetary character, poverty can also mean being deprived in crucial aspects of their lives, such as nutrition, education, leisure or housing, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said.
In Armenia, 64 percent of children are deprived in two or more spheres. The rate is as high as 82 percent in rural areas, while it is 53 percent in urban areas. Nationwide, 12 percent of children are not lacking in any area. However this is true for only 3 percent of children in rural areas, while 18 percent of children in urban areas do not suffer any deprivation.
Most children lack in utilities, housing and leisure.
Utilities is defined here as a combination of poor water supply and heating, while housing is defined by crowded living space and reported housing problems. Leisure is measured as a combination of recreation items and space to play.
There is a sharp rural/urban divide in the utilities dimension: 87 percent of children in rural areas are deprived in utilities, a combination of poor access to water and heating. The second relevant divide is found in information: 57 percent of rural children are deprived of access to information, while this is true for only one third of children in urban settings.
Younger children are mostly deprived in nutrition. About one third of children aged 0-5 are deprived in nutrition, and 23 percent of children aged 3-5 are deprived in early childhood education. The highest deprivation rates for this age groups are found in information (49 percent), utilities (48 percent) and housing (51 percent).