Finland : A Fight Against Child Poverty
It’s taken mankind thousands of years to reach where we are today. Distances no longer matter, speaking to someone sitting thousands of miles away is not a task and diseases such as Polio have been cured in many parts of the world. But despite it all, Global issues such as AIDS, hunger and poverty are still hurdles we are yet to cross.
Child Poverty is another such issue which deserves our utmost attention. Child poverty refers to the phenomenon of children living in poverty. This applies to children that come from poor families or orphans being raised with limited, or in some cases absent, state resources. Children that fail to meet the minimum acceptable standard of living for the nation where that child lives are said to be poor. In developing countries these standards are lower and when combined with the increased number of orphans the effects are more extreme.
Finland has one of the lowest Child Poverty rates in the world, while having the highest rate of female employment. One of the reasons why this is possible is due to the strong state support programs for children and families.
Access to public day care is guaranteed to all children above the age of under the age of seven. Due to this, not only do most women work, they work full time. The monthly fee per child varies between €0–€264 in 2013 depending on the family size and income. Pre-primary education for six-year-old children is free of charge.
Free health care is provided to all children. The aim is to monitor and to promote the health of the child but also the well-being of the entire family.
Finland also provides a 1-Year Paid Parental Leave to help parents cope with their child-raising duties, while keeping their jobs secure.
Youth Guarantee is a program agreed upon by the Finnish Government which will offer everyone under the age of 25, as well as recent graduates under the age of 30 an employment, a study place, a place in an on-the-job training or in a rehabilitation within three months after becoming unemployed. This ensures that the have access to education, training and employment and to prevent them from being excluded from the society.
Finland also has a youth Parliament which helps the government understand the needs of the youth of the country while allowing them to be involved in the preparation of national policy-making. This helps promote dialogue between the youth and the policy-makers of the country.
Finland has taken drastic steps to fight this social problem. Let us know what you think can be done to combat this issue in our own country.
