The goal of reducing child poverty by 50% by the end of 2032
- Laura Isabel González, EL VOCERO 20/05/2021 Updated May 20, 2021 https://www.elvocero.com/actualidad/advierten-que-si-no-se-atiende-la-pobreza-infantil-puerto-rico-enfrenta-un-panorama-sombr/article_b6e75f7c-b9bb-11eb-b972-ef8d6896a992.html
If the social crisis of child poverty on the island is not addressed, Puerto Rico faces a bleak outlook with low productivity, a possible rise in crime and increased health conditions among this population as it grows older, according to experts at the Instituto del Desarrollo de la Juventud (IDJ).
For this reason, it is urgent to address Senate Bill 293 which, precisely, seeks to attack this problem with the goal of reducing child poverty by 50% by the end of 2032, and to achieve a 70% reduction in the extreme poverty line.
"In this project we proposed a roadmap for action and a series of public policies that, if implemented, can make a big difference," María Enchautegui, director of Research and Public Policy at IDJ, explained to EL VOCERO.
To that end, the legislation would create the Commission to Eradicate Child Poverty in Puerto Rico, an entity that would oversee the implementation of a series of strategies to address the crisis.https://852ef15d848c55f14f501f4cf06d695d.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
This commission would be composed of 11 members who would include the heads of: the Department of the Family; the Department of Education; the Department of the Treasury; a representative of a non-profit organization focused on poverty eradication; the Department of Economic Development and Commerce; the Secretary of the Government; the College of Social Work Professionals; the Puerto Rico Psychological Association; members of the sociology graduate program and the economics program of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR); and a community leader.
All of them should be appointed by the governor in office, establishes the piece of legislation.
Problem that has persisted
In recent years, he said, child poverty on the island has remained at 58%, while the number of children in extreme poverty has reached 37%.
And this is compounded as the crisis from past earthquakes, Hurricane Maria in 2017 and the current pandemic has led to an uptick in other areas that urgently need to be addressed, such as mental health.
According to the study prepared by the Institute, as a result of these phenomena, 23% of children experienced anxiety after Hurricane Maria.
Meanwhile, in the area of education, students aged 5 to 17 years old did not attend school an average of 78 days and in the area of nutrition, 50% of families with children earning $15,000 or less reported difficulties in accessing food.
"What the bill proposes is to be able to organize these strategies," added
The guide established by the entity to work with the problem is divided into four facets: taxation; economics and labor issues; elimination of barriers to employment; and human capital development.
"With these areas, public policies, program recommendations and other measures to be considered to reduce child poverty are established," said Brayan Rosa, the Institute's public policy manager.
According to the bill, in terms of taxation policies, for example, it is recommended to maintain the earned income tax credit, extend the federal child tax credit to families with one and two children, and create a credit to employers for employing people under the Transitional Work Opportunity program.
On economic and labor policies, it is proposed to: expand government-subsidized jobs for youth, mothers and fathers and create a universal direct transfer program for families with children ($100 per child).
Other long-term crises
Scarce resources and child poverty are a trigger for other crises in productivity, security and health, Rosa and Enchautegui agreed.
The study states the following: that children who grow up in poverty are less likely to finish high school and less likely to pursue post-secondary studies -which reduces the country's productivity levels-; that children who grow up in poverty have lower incomes in adulthood, which reduces the level of aggregate consumption in the economy and this population that grows up in poverty has worse health in adulthood and greater probabilities of developing chronic health conditions, "which is costly for everyone and reduces Puerto Rico's quality of life.
Similarly, he says "that children who grow up in poverty are more likely to become involved in crime and be victims of crime in youth and adulthood, which increases government and private sector security spending, and reduces the security of all."
"We have seen that for the last few years, the percentage of child poverty has remained static. It is a major problem; it means that we have become accustomed to it," warned Rosa.
"They have said that the hurricane and earthquakes have 'uncovered' poverty, but in reality it has always been there. It has been silent, but it exists," he said.
Precisely one of the greatest concerns for the experts is that no action will be taken, even after the bill has been approved. However, the urgent call is for the legislative piece to be attended to and the first step to be taken, which is the endorsement, before the end of this session on June 30.
"I am concerned that this is not given the importance it deserves. And that, as Brayan says, we get used to this, without thinking about the repercussions it has, and we don't think about how we can build a better country," the lawyer pointed out.