Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O'Flaherty, published today a memorandum on child poverty in Italy.
The Commissioner appreciates that child poverty is recognised as a serious issue by the Italian authorities and that considerable efforts have been made over the years to address it. However, he observes that measures should be considerably strengthened through a coherent nationwide approach that is human rights based and child centred.
He calls on the authorities at all levels to prioritise the eradication of child poverty in their public expenditure.
The Commissioner observes that structural reforms, coordinated action and sustained funding are required to safeguard the rights of the country's children.
Children are now the most poverty-stricken age group in Italy, with13,8% of them - roughly 1 in 7 children - living in absolute poverty. This figure has risen in recent years, driven by unadjusted salaries and the mounting cost-of-living, which has particularly affected families.
"To ensure that the next generation can live without fear or want, regardless of the family they are born into or the region they live in, Italy should develop a comprehensive approach that is implemented in a well-coordinated manner, backed by sustained funding," said Commissioner O'Flaherty.
The child poverty situation in Italy is marked by significant disparities along geographic lines, with poverty particularly concentrated in the south, in the periphery, and in disadvantaged urban areas. Absolute poverty is more prevalent in single parent families and those with three or more children, as well as in households where adults have low levels of education, are from minority background or are foreigners.
Child poverty impacts every aspect of a child's life and wellbeing, restricting access to health, education, adequate nutrition, housing, and social relations. It is compounded by limited social mobility, which traps disadvantaged groups and perpetuates inequalities across generations.
The Commissioner further observes that efforts must be coherently designed to assist children living in poverty and their families, paying particular attention to the needs of children in situations of specific disadvantage. While welcoming initiatives such as the Assegno Unico e Universale (Single and Universal Allowance) introduced in 2021, he notes that overall, funding for key poverty-alleviation programmes is insufficient and decreasing, including in areas identified as particularly crucial such as educational poverty. In view of the expiration of EU funds linked to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), sustained funding should be ensured for the operation of school and nursery facilities and for initiatives that guarantee free meals for children in need and those that counter school dropouts.
The Commissioner observes that safeguards should be introduced to ensure that children and households living in poverty are not excluded from relevant allowances and services as a result of residency or citizenship requirements, technological or bureaucratic barriers.
Key recommendations
To launch a renewed push against child poverty, the Commissioner encourages Italian authorities at all levels, to:
- Coordinate all child poverty initiatives under a single, human rights-based national plan.
- Introduce legislative measures to define and fund minimum levels of public social services ("Livelli Essenziali delle Prestazioni", or LEPs) that every region and municipality should provide, to reduce regional disparities.
- Ensure that income-support allowances are sufficient to provide an adequate standard of living and do not exclude people who cannot support themselves, regardless of the household composition.
- Ensure coordination of social services to provide comprehensive care to children, addressing the multiple manifestations of child poverty and eliminating any legal and administrative barriers that may exclude children from accessing adequate housing, nutrition, social assistance and psychological care.
- Secure sustained budgetary allocations to enable the implementation of relevant measures - including after the expiration of EU funds linked to the NRRP - as well as of specific programmes for children living with disadvantages.
- Read the Commissioner's memorandum on child poverty in Italy (also available in French and Italian)
- Read the comments of the authorities of Italy on the Commissioner's memorandum
