We talk more and more every day about children growing up in poverty. “Relative and absolute child poverty levels are expected to reach twenty-four percent and twenty-three percent by 2020/2021. » (Peter Adamson, 2012) “In 2015, nearly 1.2 million Canadian children under the age of eight lived in low-income households. Children represent almost a quarter of low-income people in Canada. (Statistics Canada, 2017) No parent wants their children to be raised this way, but in today's society, poverty is a serious problem. “Millions of children are deprived of their childhood because of poverty. This deprives them of the capabilities necessary to survive, develop and prosper. This prevents them from benefiting from equal opportunities and makes children more vulnerable to violence, abuse and discrimination. » (UNICEF, 2005)Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayChildren who grow up in poverty typically come from a single parent, with a single income. Children are at higher risk of health problems, developmental delays, behavioral disorders, lower educational attainment and are more likely to live in poverty as adults. This is due to the environment in which they grew up. “Children living in poverty are more likely to have low birth weight, asthma, type 2 diabetes, poor oral hygiene and suffer from many other health, social, mental and of self-esteem. problems. They will also likely face alcohol or drug addictions growing up. Parents do their best to provide for their children, but it is difficult, especially living on little or no income. Everything has a price and parents struggle to provide for their family. Most low-income families live paycheck to paycheck or receive some sort of government assistance. Parents struggle every day to decide whether to pay their bills or buy food for themselves and their children. It is cheaper to buy a happy meal at McDonald's than to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. When trying to save as much money as possible, parents will likely choose the cheaper route. Children who cannot eat nutritious meals will become malnourished and have much weaker immune systems, meaning they will get sick more easily. If this happens and they become ill, it is very difficult for a parent to get them to a medical clinic or emergency room. This is because they do not have transportation or money to buy medicine, so they usually do not go unless there is an emergency. There are also Salvation Army organizations for those in need to go and get food, clothing and even shelter if needed, but as mentioned above, it is difficult to get there because lives far away and without means of transportation. Most of the time, parents and sometimes one of their children walk to food banks in all weathers. This is also how they get sick, because most of the time they are not dressed properly according to the weather. A child's mental health is a major concern in a low-income household. Indeed, they still face discrimination on where they live, on what they wear, from children at school because they do not participate in any extracurricular activities, etc.… This usually leads to depression. We should never.