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	A new study from UNICEF on the impact of the recession on children in 41 developed countries places Ireland close to the bottom of the list.</p>
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	The report has ranked Ireland in 37th place in the league table measuring relative changes in child poverty.</p>
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	Only Croatia, Latvia, Greece and Iceland finished below Ireland in the UNICEF league table.</p>
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	The report looked at the impact of the economic crisis on child well-being.</p>
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	It found Irish families with children have lost the equivalent of ten years of income progress.</p>
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	The child poverty rate rose by over 10% to 28.6% between 2008 and 2012.</p>
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	This corresponds to a net increase of more than 130,000 poor children in Ireland.</p>
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	Comparatively, poverty among older people has increased by 2.5% during the same period.</p>
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	Of the 41 countries surveyed, 18 recorded a reduction in child poverty, including Chile, Australia and Poland.</p>
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	UNICEF said the data showed a strong correlation between the impact of the financial crisis and a disproportionate decline in children&#39;s well-being.</p>
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	UNICEF Ireland Executive Director Peter Power said: &quot;Countries should place the well-being of children at the top of their priorities during economic recessions.</p>
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	&quot;Not only is this a moral obligation, but it is in the long term self-interest of societies.</p>
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	&quot;Children living in poverty are more likely to become impoverished adults and have poor children, creating and sustaining intergenerational cycles of poverty.&quot;</p>
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	Speaking on RT&Eacute;&#39;s Morning Ireland, Mr Power outlined the long-term problems if the issue of child poverty is not addressed and what the Government needs to do.</p>
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	He said: &quot;We need to look at this whole problem from a child&#39;s rights perspective. Children have a right to grow up outside of endemic poverty.</p>
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	&quot;One very important recommendation that we would ask Government to look at and that&#39;s this - that they set out certain red lines and if poverty indicators fall below those red lines that it automatically triggers an intervention by Government.&quot;</p>
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	<a href="http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/1028/655244-unicef/">http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/1028/655244-unicef/</a></p>
