A look at the issues affecting child poverty in Jamaica. By Taitu Heron, Manager of the Social Development and Gender Unit, Social Policy, Planning and Research Division, of the Planning Institute of Jamaica. 2008. UNICEF seminar on programming for children.

1. 1
Issues Affecting Child
Poverty in Jamaica
Taitu Heron
SDG/SPPRD/PIOJ
August 4-5, 2008
UNICEF/PIOJ Seminar on
Understanding Child Poverty
August 4-5, 2008

2. 2
Poverty and Jamaica’s
children
 Based on consumption patterns, the poverty level is
14. 3 % (ESSJ 2007)
 Generally, poverty in rural areas tends to be higher
than in urban areas. Worst affected parishes are St
Mary and Westmoreland, with 35-40% of all children
living in poverty (Situation Assessment & Analysis of Jamaican Children
& Their Familes, 2000)
 In rural areas 23% of children U6 who are registered
at public health clinics receive food stamps
compared to 12% in other towns and 2% in the
KMA. (The Jamaican Child, 2002)

3. 3
Child Poverty in Jamaica
 Children accounted for 35.8% of the population:
960,800 [491 300 f/ 469 500 m] (ESSJ 2007)
 The proportion of children living in poverty averaged
22% over the last 5 years: 211,376 (ESSJ 2007)
 Child beneficiaries of poor relief assistance included
550 in their own right & 3, 373 child dependents;
and 698 street children being served (75% m). (ESSJ
2007)
 Limited information on OVCs indicate that about
13,000 children are orphans in Jamaica; (JSLC 1996)

4. 4
Child Poverty
 MOH estimates that about 125 children were
orphaned due to loss of mother or both parents to
AIDS (National STI/HIV, MOH, 2003).
 CDA reported 5, 890 children in care & protection by
the state (ESSJ 2007).
 ILO/MLSS Report on Street Children/Children
working in the street estimated just over 2,000
children in 2002.
 Child mortality…./Infant mortality
 Only 10% of the estimated 37,000 children with
disabilities are enrolled in school-based and other
government-supported programmes.

5. 5
Child Poverty
 Overall, 6.4% of Jamaican children display
low weight for age (under nutrition)
 5.9% for low height for age (stunting); and
 2.8% for low weight for height (wasting)
 There are no significant differences among
these indicators by region, household
consumption or by sex.
 Below the international reference standard of
2 to 3%.(JSLC 2001)

6. 6
Issues affecting child poverty
 Assumptions:
 Poor families experience more displacement (child
shifting, rural-urban migration etc) which affect child
survival and development
 Higher exposure to violence in poor families especially
community-related violence such as gang and turf
wars.
 Lower education levels of parents affects positive child
outcomes
 Poor nutrition /consumption patterns
 Children with disabilities are more likely to be also poor
 Children orphaned because of loss of parent(s) to AIDS
is more likely to be poor.

7. 7
Issues affecting child poverty
 Assumptions continued:
 Poor families have more children to support
 Higher levels of father absenteeism
 Higher levels of exposure to physical abuse (by
mother and/or extended family members)
 Higher levels of exposure to sexual abuse by
extended family members/community members
 Lower parental involvement in education
 Higher levels of parental stress

8. 8
Direct issues affecting child
poverty
 Psycho-social well-being of parents or primary
caregiver
 Economic status of parents
 Whether child lives in a single parent or 2-parent
household or extended family setting
 The number of other children in the household
 The size of residence, yard space, home work
space, sleeping arrangements
 Person to room ratio
 Exposure to violence in the home and its environs
 Proximity to neighbours/ other households.

9. 9
Indirect issues affecting child
poverty
 Access to safe water and adequate sanitation
 Access to regular health care, esp. 0-3 years. MOH reports a
decline in immunization, b/w 84-87% in 2007 (optimal 90-
95%). (ESSJ 2007)
 Eating patterns, nutritional foods [poor nutrition from before
birth and in the first years of life can seriously impact brain
development and lead to cognitive defects, behavioural
problems etc.] [6.4% under nourished]
 Educational level of parents and parental involvement in
education [cultivating a learning environment for the child]
 Adolescent parenting [25% of antenatal registered births at
public health clinics] (ESSJ 2007) Does this relate to a decline in
breast feeding? 43.6% 1st 6 weeks exclusively. Below MOH’s
target of 60% excl. for 6 weeks. (ESSJ 2007)

10. 10
Structural issues affecting child
poverty
 Less than 1% of the capital budget for 2004/05 to
2005/06 spent on children
 Inadequate remand facilities for separating child
offenders from adult offenders
 Insufficient rehabilitation and reintegration programmes
for child offenders More facilities needed for short-term
care (Places of Safety)
 Inadequate funds for routine access of children to health
services (medical, dental and psychological), as required
by law.
 Uneven and inequitable educational system which can be
discriminating/ disdainful to the rural poor and the urban
poor [40-50% of all students performing below their grade
level; Under 60% of Grade 4 students deemed fully
literate (2003); Low performance at CXC (Approx. 11%
passing 5 subjects, including Math and English, in 2003)

11. 11
Structural issues cont’d
 Limited access to and facilities for
children with disabilities at all levels of
the health and education systems.
 Insufficient programmes to deal with
street children.
 Insufficient programmes for children
affected or infected by HIV/AIDS

12. 12
Zeroing in on critical issues
 Neglect and abuse of children, including sexual abuse and
reliance on authoritarian child-rearing practices are thought to be
widespread.
 Punitive communication styles which discourage self-esteem
building was commonly found between parents and children.
 Socio-economic status and quality of education accessed Socio-
economic status and the home learning environment
 Socio-economic status and parenting skills
 More than half of the cases for sexual abuses reported for 2007
were children, mostly girls.
 High level of involvement of children in violent crime, especially
boys.
 Structural deficiencies which impede child rights and stymie
optimal development of the child (Our IADG and development
policy and programmatic frameworks already exist to address
these on a wider/substantive scale; $ to A & I)
 ALL THESE ISSUES AFFECT THE CHILD’S OUTCOME AND IF
HE/SHE CAN ESCAPE THE CYCLE OF POVERTY

13. 13
References
Economic and Social Survey of Jamaica, 2007, PIOJ.
Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions, 2001, 2006.
SAMMS-VAUGHN, Maureen, The Jamaican Pre-School Child: The
status of early childhood development in Jamaica, 2005, PIOJ.
UNICEF, Child Survival: The State of the World’s Children, 2008.
A Rapid Assessment of the Situation of Orphans and other Children
Living in Households Affected by HIV/AIDS in Jamaica, 2002,
National AIDS Committee & UNICEF.
The Jamaican Child: A Report on the Social Indicators Monitoring
System 2002, PIOJ.
Situation Assessment and Analysis of Jamaican Children & Their
Families, 2000, UNICEF.