Three out of ten children and adolescents (NNyA) under the age of 17 suffered from it food insecurity in 2023which means having reduced their diet in the last 12 months due to their families’ economic problems.
Meanwhile, one in three of these boys and girls has suffered from it serious conditionsthat is, they suffered from hunger, according to the Report “Direct and indirect food aid to urban children and adolescents (2023) of the Social Debt Observatory of the Catholic University of Argentina.
Out of 14 million children and adolescents these percentages are equivalent to 4.6 million children suffered from food deprivation and more than 1.5 million directly suffered from hunger.
These data were released by the UCA Observatory “in the context of the start of a new government administration, a deepening of the inflationary process and wages on average well below inflationary indices and child poverty estimates reaching 71% , according to Unicef calculations, 2024.
From this it follows that these indicators it could have gotten worse in these first months of 2024 due to the increase in the value of the poverty threshold and the cuts that many soup kitchens have suffered.
The Report highlights food insufficiency went from 21.7% in 2017 to 32.2% of children and adolescents in 2023, and severe food insufficiency increased from 9.6% to 13.9% in 2023.
These indicators – underlines the UCA Report – intensify as the socio-economic stratum decreases and in the agglomerations of CABA and GBA and other metropolitan areas in the interior of the country.
Free food in schools (42.9%), food boxes and bags (36.7%) and Food Paper (44%) are the most appreciated aid aimed at children and adolescents. At the same time, participation in community kitchens and food delivery reached 11.1% in 2023.
From this analysis, the Report states, receiving any type of food aid is more likely to impact children and adolescents who attend state schools, who have unemployed and young mothers, and who live in poor homes. One of the most defenseless populations in the face of food insecurity and in the absence of community kitchens is adolescents, not beneficiaries of AUH or TA, and in a situation of poverty.
The main aids for children and adolescents are:
- Power board (TA): Launched in 2020, it is an income transfer for families with children aged 0-14 receiving the Universal Child Assessment (AUH). In January 2024, families with 1 child received an amount of $33,000, those with 2 children $51,750, and those with 3 or more $68,250.
- School nutrition: These are free foods present in the three educational levels, in the form of a glass of milk, snack, lunch and snack. It aims to achieve nutritional and developmental conditions in children and adolescents attending school.
- Food from non-school canteens: Community kitchens provide free and regular food services to populations in situations of poverty and social vulnerability. They are based in religious, governmental and private entities. These organizations provide food to people who participate and also deliver food to take home.
- Box/bag: They are food transfers received from a family member. This help can come from an educational institution or other public or private organizations.
Source: Clarin
