CYP Now - Opinion: Soapbox - Stealth will not stamp out child poverty

Whenever you talk about child poverty in the media there is often a sceptical response from some of the audience. It's along the lines of "benefits shouldn't be paid for more than one child" or "how can they be living in poverty if they have a television?"

We need to convince people who remain sceptical that those who have beenleft out of society have not chosen this, nor are they lazy, feckless orirresponsible. But when you listen to Government ministers, theysometimes seem more comfortable fuelling fears than confrontingthem.

Ending child poverty would be a good news story. If we end child povertyin this country we can take pride in the fact that we have rivalledScandinavia.

Take Denmark, where, according to the CIA World Fact book, "the Danishpeople enjoy living standards topped by no other nation". Or Sweden,which would have the same child poverty rate as the UK were it not forgovernment intervention, but thanks to it, it is less than 10 percent.

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