UNICEF Says 33 Million Children In Bangladesh Live In Poverty

November 25, 2009 8:30 a.m. EST

Dhaka, Bangladesh (AHN) - About 33 million children in Bangladesh, or half of all Bangladeshi children, are living in poverty, a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) study said on Wednesday.

The report also revealed that one in four children is deprived of at least four basic needs, which included food, education, health, information, shelter, water and sanitation.

According to the new study, 64 percent of children in Bangladesh are deprived of sanitation, 52 percent are deprived of information, 57 percent are deprived of nutrition, 41 percent are deprived of shelter, 16 percent are deprived of health, and 8 percent are deprived of education.

"One key determinant of child poverty is the level of the mother's education: the higher the mother's level of education, the lower the chance for the child to be affected by deprivation," the report said.

The report, which was released in the capital, Dhaka on the day, added that the mother's education also has a mitigating impact on the severity of the child's deprivations.

"Child poverty in Bangladesh remains a grave concern," UNICEF Representative Carel de Rooy said. She added, "[The] majority of the Millennium Development Goals and targets are related to children. Therefore, it is absolutely impossible to achieve MDGs without giving proper attention to children."

The UNICEF initiated the study as part of a global initiative involving 46 countries in seven regions, working closely with government and non-governmental organizations to pool expertise, knowledge and evidence on children.