Child Poverty: Ireland in Recession

Abstract

The recession has hit the lives of many children hard. Child poverty in Ireland did not end during the boom years, in spite of Government promises. Now, as our economic situation worsens, and families up and down the country struggle to make ends meet, more and more children are growing up in poverty. In 2009, there were more than 96,000 children living in consistent poverty in Ireland – 28,000 more than the year before – and there were more than 205,000 children at risk of poverty. Today, these figures are likely to be even higher. What does child poverty in Ireland look like in the recession? How do the experiences of children in poverty differ from what we expect childhood to be? This pamphlet describes child poverty in Ireland today, based on stories of real children’s lives.