With the Brexit and the UK pull out of the EU, we have had our eyes taken off a very real and immediate situation, young families and kids struggle daily fighting poverty in the North of Ireland, more and more young people are taking to the streets. This situation needs addressed soon or we will have even more problems springing from this situation alone.
In new figures released by Northern Irelands Poverty Bulletin have revealed that nearly 25% of all children are living in poverty in the 6 counties over the 2014/15 year period.
This is a significant rise in statistics from the years before, almost a 25% increase in child poverty. The report provided by the Department of Communities defines a person who lives in a household with an income below 60% of the UK’s median as being in relative poverty.
It was also revealed that the average household in the UK brings in almost £420 which is £21,000 a year, this is a 3% increase in past years.
In 2014/15 22% of individuals of working age in the UK around 226,400 people were in poverty this is an increase of 21% on the previous year. Around 395,100 people in 2014/15 were in poverty this is a large increase of 20% on previous years.
It has been revealed that the number of pensioners in poverty has decreased since previous years.
A total of 59,200 pensioners were in poverty in 2014/15 this was a 21% decrease on previous years. Peter Bryson from Save the Children said there was an overall increase of 2% child poverty in 2014/15 and that this situation should not be the case in the North of Ireland where children and families grow up in poverty.
He said, “Every child deserves the best start in life. But Northern Ireland today, too many young children are going without the support they need to reach their full potential”
The effects of this will reverberate through the generations if the situation is not addressed ASAP. Poverty is an unfortunate but never the less a reality of this system, people should not have to face this on a daily bases considering the UK itself is one of the richest nations in the world.
Peter Bryson said that “The Northern Ireland executive must focus on early investment in children’s futures, by offering better support to parents and ensuring all early years staff have what they need to deliver world-class services for children”
The Risen People 