Social Policy
In Türkiye, UNICEF works to mitigate child poverty and improve social welfare systems so that every child has a better chance to thrive.
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The challenge
Children who grow up in poverty might lack adequate access to food, sanitation, shelter, protection, health services and the education they need to survive and thrive.
When children grow up in poverty, they are more likely to be poor when they are older, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and disadvantage. However, child poverty is not inevitable; it can be reduced and even eradicated through continued attention and action. Social policy is a key tool to address poverty and improve the well-being of children as they grow.
Türkiye is an upper middle-income country with well-developed institutions, public services, and infrastructures to serve its 84 million citizens and 5 million refugees.
Nevertheless, socio-economic inequalities of income and wealth as well as gaps in quality, adequacy, and coverage of public services in social protection, education, employment, health, and family services restrict a more comprehensive and sustained fulfillment of children’s rights and wellbeing.
The solution
UNICEF works together with its partners and the Government towards evidence-based social protection policies which will contribute to poverty reduction and improvement of children’s wellbeing.
Our work here focuses on:
- strengthening social protection systems to reduce child poverty and deprivation
- increasing national and local budgets for children, and improving the efficiency of how they are spent
- supporting public organizations and businesses in eliminating child labour and training adolescents.
