Citation

Nandy, Shailen & Gordon, David (2009). Children living in squalor: shelter, water and sanitation deprivations in developing countries. Children, Youth and Environments, 19(2), 202-228.

Abstract

Hundreds of millions of children in developing countries are growing up in squalid conditions, yet anti-poverty policies targeted at children tend to focus upon human capital interventions such as improved schooling, healthcare and nutrition through school nutrition/feeding programs. The primary concern seems to be with children as future citizens who need human capital interventions in order to ensure they will be productive workers when they grow up. However, children are not future citizens, they are current citizens with human rights that are independent of and equal to those of the adults with whom they live. There is certainly a need for human capital interventions in education and health, but children's needs for better living conditions are equally or more important. Squalid living conditions can kill young children and make older children sick and miserable. Better health care can treat the symptoms but not the causes of this ill health.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.19.2.0202

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2009

Journal Title

Children, Youth and Environments

Author(s)

Nandy, Shailen
Gordon, David