Prime minister meets Unicef over alarming child poverty report

To follow up on a government pledge to reduce child poverty in Luxembourg, Prime Minister Luc Frieden and Family Minister Max Hahn met with Unicef local representatives on Monday to discuss the Grand Duchy’s low ranking in a global assessment.

“We cannot accept that children grow up in precarious conditions. Every child has the right to a fair start in life,” said Luc Frieden. However, according to a 2023 report on child poverty by Innocenti, Unicef’s research centre, one in four children in Luxembourg is at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

Around 30,000 children are affected by poverty, the report said, ranking Luxembourg in the 35th place out of 39 countries. In comparison: Germany ranked 25th, France 33rd and Belgium 12th. Slovenia topped the ranking with the lowest child poverty risk.

The Innocenti report defines child poverty as a household income below 60% of the national median revenue or lacking essentials like food, clothing, housing or education. It links child poverty to social and economic factors, noting that while income poverty trends have multiple causes, social policies can play a role.

However, the key to addressing child poverty may lie in expanding opportunities for their parents. “Slovenia’s success is in part promoted by labour market policies. In the decade since the financial crisis of 2008, the government of Slovenia has implemented a series of policies to tackle in-work poverty and promote decent work,” says the report.

Unicef’s recommendations for Luxembourg

During the meeting on Monday, Unicef Luxembourg made some recommendations to the Luxembourg government to reduce the child poverty rate.

Particularly, Unicef Luxembourg recommended revising the system for calculating child benefit by taking into account the parents’ income. The administrative procedure for available benefits should also be simplified.

A plan to combat poverty in Luxembourg is due to be presented this year.

(This article was originally published by Luxemburger Wort. Translation, editing, and additional reporting by Lucrezia Reale.)