It’s another cry of alert for Portugal’s children, now considered the most in-need and neglected in Europe.
Talking at a seminar in Braga yesterday (Thursday) promoted by the national confederation against child labour, Cláudia Manata, of the Institute of Child Support, said that the nation’s children were the worst off in Europe.
Talking in the context of “April 25 and Children”, she said that as a result of the ongoing economic crisis, conditions for the country’s children had deteriorated, leaving many to “live on the streets”.
Elsewhere Fátima Pinto, president of the confederation, appealed to all Portuguese to ‘denounce situations of child labour, like cases of begging and underage prostitution”.
This is not the first time Portugal has been highlighted for its dismal performance when it comes to children’s quality of life.
In 2012, UNICEF produced data to show that 27% of the children in Portugal were living on the breadline – and it warned that the situation was bound to get worse, as the figures used to support the data had been compiled before the economic crisis hit.
