Half of Children in Areas of the UK Growing Up Poor, Study Shows

The British campaign group End Child Poverty (ECP) published a report showing that in many areas of the United Kingdom nearly half of children can be classified as "poor."

According to the study, the most deprived constituency of the country is Bethnal Green and Bow in which 54.18 percent of children live in poverty, with most of 25 most affected areas being in the north of England, Scotland and parts of London, Sputnik reported.

The report also recorded marked increases in the levels of child poverty between 2016 and 2017, with the ten most heavily affected areas seeing rises of just below or above 10 points in the period studied.

According to the Office of National Statistics in mid-2017 7.3 percent of the British population, some 4.6 million people were trapped in "persistent poverty." Of this number, more women than men were shown to suffer, with additional consequences for their children.

In a press release, ECP Chairman Sam Royston slammed Government policies which he blamed for the prevalence of child deprivation across the country.

"It is scandalous that a child born in some parts of the UK now has a greater chance of growing up in poverty, than being in a family above the breadline. There can be little doubt that the Government's policy of maintaining the benefits freeze despite rising prices is a major contributor to the emerging child poverty crisis," he said.

The study claims that the financial burden on lower-income families is disproportionately greater by at least £1700 due to the added cost of government provided credit, which ECP argues should be made interest free so as to reduce the burden.