Child Poverty in the UK - “It Shouldn’t Happen Here”

The charity Save the Children, best known for helping some of the world's poorest families, has launched an appeal to help UK children, focusing the scale and impact of poverty amongst Britain's poorest communities...

The charity says the UK's poorest children are bearing the brunt of the recession, with some missing out on regular hot meals or new shoes.

The new campaign ("It Shouldn't Happen Here") urges the UK government to focus on benefits for low-paid families and ask employers to pay a living wage.

Researchers for Save the Children surveyed more than 1,500 children aged eight to 16 and more than 5,000 parents, focusing on the lowest income groups.

The campaign also draws on data from the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) which estimates that there are 3.5 million children living in poverty in the UK and predict a steep rise in the numbers in coming years.

The promo film that launched the campaign is shown below.