ILO: 1.4 billion children globally missing out on basic social protection, according to latest data

According to new data released by the International Labour Organization (ILO), Save the Children and UNICEF, 1.4 billion children, aged under 15, lack any form of social protection, leaving them vulnerable to disease, poor nutrition, and poverty.

Fewer than one in ten children in low-income countries have access to child benefits, making them vulnerable to diseases, educational gaps, inadequate nutrition, poverty, and inequality.  It highlights a significant disparity in coverage compared to the coverage enjoyed by children in high-income countries. The three organizations are calling on governments to ensure all children are protected by social protection mechanisms, including through universal child benefits.

Child benefits are a critical form of social protection, intended to promote children's long-term well-being. Child benefits are essential for reducing poverty as well as accessing healthcare, nutrition, quality education, water, and sanitation. They can be delivered as cash or tax credits. Furthermore, these benefits support socioeconomic development, especially during times of crisis.

The data indicates that there has been a modest global increase in access to child benefits over a period of 14 years, ranging from 20 per cent in 2009 to 28.1% in 2023. However, the progress has been unequal. In low-income countries, coverage rates are extremely low, at around 9 per cent. Simultaneously, 84.6% of children in nations with high incomes are covered.

The coverage rates for children in countries that are highly susceptible to the effects of climate change are significantly lower than those in countries that are not classified as being at high risk. It is imperative to ensure that children are adequately protected by social protection measures to safeguard them from the most severe consequences of the climate crisis.

In order to enhance the monitoring and reduction of discrepancies in child benefit coverage, Save the Children, ILO, and UNICEF have developed the Global Child Benefits Tracker, an online platform that monitors children's access to benefits and advocates with governments and donors to address the discrepancies.  The launch comes at a crucial moment, as the most recent data indicates that 829 million children worldwide reside in households where per-person incomes are below US$3.65 a day, and progress on reducing child poverty has largely stalled.

The three agencies urge policymakers and donors to take decisive steps to achieve universal social protection for all children, by:

• Building social protection systems that are rights-based, gender-responsive, inclusive and shock-responsive, to address inequities and deliver better results for girls and women, children with disabilities, migrant children, and children in child labour, among others.

• Closing protection gaps requires filling the ‘financing gap’. This means investing in child benefits for all children, which offers a proven and cost-effective way to combat child poverty and ensure children thrive.

• Providing a comprehensive range of child benefits through national social protection systems that also connect families to crucial health and social services, such as free or affordable high-quality childcare.

• Securing sustainable financing for social protection systems by mobilizing domestic resources and increasing public investment in children.

• Strengthening social protection for parents and caregivers by guaranteeing access to decent work and adequate benefits, including unemployment, sickness, maternity, disability, and pensions.