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Child Poverty and Income, End Child Poverty 2007
Campaign News
END CHILD POVERTY CALLS ON FAMILIES TO SPEAK UP ABOUT THEIR FINANCIAL HARDSHIP - 4th of Aug, 2008
The Campaign to End Child Poverty is urgently calling on people to share their experiences of living on a low income and help put pressure on the Government to eradicate child poverty.
The Charity is appealing for families to come forward and help highlight the reality of day-to-day life for people struggling on low incomes in the UK.
The UK has one of the worst records of child poverty in Europe, with one in three children living in poverty. In 2001, the Government made a bold promise to halve child poverty by 2010, yet it is in danger of failing to keep this promise.
Hilary Fisher, director of the Campaign to End Child Poverty, says: “This year is vital that pressure is kept on the Government to ensure they keep the promise to halve child poverty by 2010.
“The stark facts speak for themselves. Life expectancy is ten years shorter for the poorest children and infant mortality is twice as high. Educational attainment decreases, as do the chances of getting a good job in adulthood. Having real life stories will play a crucial role in highlighting to the Government the reality of what life is like for the 3.9 million children in poverty.”
The Campaign to End Child Poverty is holding the UK’s biggest ever event to put pressure on the Government to keep its promise of halving child poverty by 2010. The ‘Keep The Promise’ rally will be held in Trafalgar Square on October 4th 2008.
Those interested in telling their story via the media in the lead up to the ‘Keep The Promise rally on October 4th can contact, in confidence, the End Child Poverty media team at: media@ecpc.org.uk. End Child Poverty will respect the wishes of anyone who would like to remain anonymous.
ENDS
Contact: Sophie Davison, End Child Poverty press office, tel. 020 7278 3405 or email media@ecpc.org.uk
Notes to editors
· The Campaign to End Child Poverty is a coalition of more than 130 organisations working to eradicate child poverty in the UK. It is formed from children's and other charities, social justice groups, faith-groups, trade unions and others concerned about the unacceptably high levels of child poverty in the UK. For more information, visit www.endchildpoverty.org.uk
· The comments in this release represent the views of End Child Poverty and do not necessarily reflect the views of member organisations.
· In March 1999 Tony Blair promised to eradicate child poverty ‘within a generation’. This has been defined as by 2020, with targets towards this of reducing child income poverty by a quarter between 1998/99 and 2004/05, and by half by 2010/11.
· For more information on the Keep the Promise event on 4th October, visit www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/promise
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