SCOTS KIDS TAKE GRAFFITI TO
PARLIAMENT TO END CHILD POVERTY
Images available after 1pm, Wed
24th Sept
Groups of young people are taking
their demands to end child poverty in Scotland to party leaders at the
Scottish Parliament today (Wed 24th Sept, 12
noon).
Hundreds of children have
graffitied giant children's building blocks with messages of support for the
Campaign to End Child Poverty. The metre-high blocks, which charity Save the
Children have taken around the country for the past year, together spell ‘END
CHILD POVERTY'.
Politicians will be asked to take
those messages to Gordon Brown and Alex Salmond to call for the governments to
keep their promises to end child poverty by 2020. New figures show that a
further 60,000 children in Scotland would need to be lifted out
of poverty to halve child poverty by 2010.
The event is being organised by
Scottish members of the Campaign to End Child Poverty which includes: Barnardo's
Scotland, Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, Citizen's Advice Scotland, One
Parent Families Scotland, Poverty Alliance and Save the
Children.
Peter Kelly, Scottish trustee of
the Campaign to End Child Poverty said:
"The Scottish and UK Governments have
made a bold political promise to end child poverty by 2020. They are in danger
of failing to keep this promise if increased action is not taken now. We are
calling on the UK Government to invest £3 billion to tackle child poverty in the
next budget, and for the Scottish Government to take immediate action to support
parents into decently paid jobs and maximise benefits.
"This is a vital time in the fight
to end child poverty. Recent
increases in food prices and fuel costs have greatly added to the issue. The
Scottish Government has the power to make a crucial difference and vastly
improve the lives of those 250,000 children who are currently living below the
breadline in Scotland".
Douglas Hamilton, Save the
Children's Head of Policy & Research in Scotland said:
"It is outrageous that 1 in 4
children in Scotland are living in poverty, but
it doesn't have to be this way.
Child poverty can be ended if the political will is there, and urgent
action is needed to meet the governments' own targets. It's fantastic that so
many young people from across Scotland agree that child poverty is
unacceptable, and are making their voices heard. I hope that the politicians will listen
and act on what the young people are saying."
The Campaign to End Child Poverty
welcomes the investment of £1bn into ending child poverty in the recent budget,
but if the government is to reach its target of halving child poverty by 2010,
it must ensure that a further £3bn is invested in ending child poverty now.
Children can't wait."
John Dickie, Head of the Child
Poverty Action Group in Scotland
said:
"It is unacceptable that 250,000
children in Scotland live in poverty. Ending
child poverty is everybody's business. I hope that other young people in
Scotland will also add their voice
and get behind the campaign to End Child Poverty. We must do everything we can
to make sure no child lives in poverty by 2020. "
The 30 building blocks have been
decorated with messages by schools, youth groups, after school clubs, mums
groups, poverty organisations and children's charities across the country. Once
the blocks have been displayed in the Scottish Parliament, they will then be
taken to London
for the End Child Poverty ‘Keep the Promise' rally on 4th October -
www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/promise
About the campaign to End Child
Poverty
The Campaign to End Child Poverty
is a coalition of more than 130 organisations working to eradicate child poverty
in the UK. It is formed from children's and
other charities, social justice groups, faith-groups, trade unions and others
concerned about the unacceptably high levels of child poverty in the
UK. For more information, visit
www.endchildpoverty.org.uk
For more information about the Keep
the Promise rally in Trafalgar
Square on 4th October - the largest ever event to end
child poverty - visit www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/promise
About Save the
Children
Save the Children is the world's
independent charity. We're outraged that millions of children are still denied
proper healthcare, food, education and protection. We're working flat out to get
every child their rights and we're determined to make further, faster changes.
How many? How fast? It's up to you.
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