Global Study On Child Poverty And Disparities (PDF) - Social Policy ...

Aspects of these cross-country differences
are also illustrated in Figures 4.3 and 4.4.
Figure 4.3 shows disparities between all urban
and all rural areas in childhood deprivation of
shelter, sanitation and water, while Figure 4.4
shows disparities across regions (the ratio of
the proportion of the population in each region
experiencing deprivations, between the regions
with the lowest and the highest deprivations). In
both cases, countries are ranked by deprivation
in shelter, sanitation and access to improved
water sources. In terms of water deprivation,
Vanuatu has the third highest level of disparities
in deprivation of all the countries, while in shelter
deprivation it has the largest disparities between
urban and rural areas.
In terms of regional disparities, Vanuatu is middle
ranked on water deprivation, but in terms of
shelter deprivation, it has by far the highest
regional disparities. In terms of disparities in
sanitation deprivation, Vanuatu performs better
than most of the other countries in the comparison
group.
Figure 4.3: Urban-rural disparities in severe
deprivation, Vanuatu and selected Asian countries
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Shelter Sanitation Water
Cambodia Philippines Mongolia Lao PDR Vanuatu Vietnam Thailand
Source: Minujin, A., 2010,
Figure 4.4: Regional disparities in severe
deprivation, Vanuatu and selected Asian countries
Shelter Sanitation Water
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Lao PDR Cambodia Mongolia Vanuatu Thailand Vietnam Philippines
Source: Minujin, A., 2010
Final comments and recommendations
This study has explored disparities in child well-being
in Vanuatu using a range of measures of expenditure
poverty as well as indicators of deprivation. As is already
well established in other regions of the world, this
methodology has considerable strengths. The use of a
multidimensional approach shows that some aspects
of child poverty in Vanuatu are corroborated whichever
approach is used, while others are only revealed by one
or another approach.
As noted by UNICEF EAPRO (Minujin A., 2010, p. 60),
the multidimensional and child-focused approach to
child poverty used in this and other studies provides
important and broad evidence about child well-being
based upon extensive disaggregated data analysis. The
approach can be seen to be significantly more valuable
than conventional sectoral situation analysis as it allows
analysis to focus on holistic needs of the children who
require all the elements of nutrition, health, water,
sanitation, education, information and shelter to thrive
and achieve their full potential. This approach is a good
fit for policy makers who need to consider the delicate
balance between various sectors who have competing
demands over limited resources. The multipledeprivation
and monetary approaches to child poverty
are also complementary ways of gathering information
about the situation of children and their families. Each
method captures information about different groups of
children for whom interventions need to be different.
From a research and advocacy perspective, a number
of conclusions and recommendations can be advanced.
Promoting child well-being in Vanuatu requires continued
commitment to evidence-based policy. Future collection
of household expenditure survey data and further MICS
surveys, followed by detailed analysis of the position
of children, is a prerequisite to improved policies to
promote child well-being. The availability of statistical
data and the development of monitoring and evaluation
systems are critical parts of trend analyses that are
necessary to assess social progress in Vanuatu.
In terms of substantive policy conclusions, disparities in
child well-being in Vanuatu are marked in two particular
regards. First, both deprivations and poverty have a
very strong regional dimension. The remote provinces
of Torba and Tafea face some of the most significant
disadvantages in Vanuatu, and these challenges appear
to be due to their distance from the capital and to the
greater role of informal labour and home production in
these areas.
At the same time, certain problems are worst in Port
Vila. Notably, due to the higher cost of living in the
capital and the greater reliance on cash incomes and the
formal labour market, expenditure poverty as measured
by the regional BNPL is the highest. In addition, Port Vila
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