The universal child benefit has returned to the center of public debate. The discussion has focused primarily on its cost and budgetary viability. But while we look at the numbers, one fact remains constant: in Catalonia, more than one in three children and adolescents live at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Given this, perhaps the question is not only whether or not a new benefit is necessary, but also what model of public support for raising children we have, and who it serves.

One of the most shameful statistics for a developed country is the percentage of children living at risk of poverty. And at the same time, child poverty is a bad investment for the future. Few long-term investments have a greater return than a happy childhood. This return is not only emotional but also economic. For decades, psychology and empirical evidence have demonstrated that growing up with significant material deprivation has individual and family consequences, extending beyond a single generation, and also impacts social cohesion and a country's future.

Finally, the proposal to include a universal child benefit is on the table, with broad political and technical consensus. Today, Xavier Trabado, president of the Catalan Third Sector Social Organizations Roundtable, is defending it in the ARA newspaper. These organizations have long supported such a measure. With this initiative, which the Spanish government wants to include in the 2026 budget—it remains to be seen whether it will be approved—families would receive €200 per month for each dependent child under 18 (€2,400 per year per child). Nineteen of the twenty-seven countries in the European Union have a similar allowance. Is it a good idea? Is it socially just? What is its purpose? Would it work?

The positive macroeconomic data of recent years, with GDP growth well above the European average and significant drops in unemployment, have not yet had a significant impact on reducing poverty in Catalonia, which currently stands at around 25%. And if we talk about child poverty, that is, the poverty of children between 0 and 16 years old, This percentage increases to 36%.According to the latest data from Idescat, this breaks a timid downward trend that began with the pandemic and confirms the suspicions of third-sector organizations, which have long warned of the growing demand for their services from people who even have jobs. General poverty rose 0.8 points, and child poverty, 1.3. The poverty threshold is set at incomes below €13,800 for a single person and €29,100 for two adults and two children. Just looking at the current cost of housing, it's clear that a person with this income is condemned to a life of severe material deprivation. poorThe concept that frightens some is perfectly illustrated here. It refers to those who cannot guarantee their basic needs (housing, clothing, energy, water, and food) with a minimum of dignity.

In the wake of Greenland, Ukraine, and the future of NATO, there is much talk these days about the foreign policy differences between the United States and Europe. But we cannot overlook the widening gap that exists in domestic politics. At the beginning of the year, the Heritage Foundation, one of thethink tanksone of the most influential people in the US, published areport to "save America by saving the family"Meanwhile, the Trump administration announced a temporary freeze on federal funding for childcare services and family assistance. The time and cost of raising children are presented as a responsibility primarily borne within households, often by women, with increasingly limited public support.

Being born into one family context or another, in a specific geographical area, or surrounded by certain environments influences the fulfillment of children's universal rights. A child doesn't choose whether their breakfast is leftovers from last night, nor can they conclude that this will cause digestive problems because it's not the most advisable thing to eat. They can't decide whether to wear clean clothes or not, or whether to shower in the morning if no one in the family helps them, nor can they deduce that this could lead to skin problems in the long run. They always need an adult, a role model, and that's why a true children's policy must have a comprehensive vision, acting within the family unit to have an impact on the child.

More than two million children in Spain live in poverty, a figure that places the country with the highest child poverty rate in the European Union. Against this backdrop, and on the occasion of World Children's Day – November 20 – the "la Caixa" Foundation is reinforcing its commitment to the comprehensive development of vulnerable children and adolescents. The fight against child poverty is a priority for the "la Caixa" Foundation, which will invest more than €4 billion by 2030 to promote social transformation. Through the CaixaProinfancia program, created in 2007, the foundation has supported nearly 400,000 children and adolescents throughout Spain through a network of more than 400 collaborating social organizations. Rekalde is a neighborhood in Bilbao with a high concentration of vulnerable families, and it's where Sebastián, a three-year-old boy, lives. He's been participating in CaixaProinfancia's activities since he was just a few months old. The program has also provided socio-educational support to his sisters, Amaia, nine, and Aitana, five. Their mother, Karol, 29, raises her three children alone and relies on the Guaranteed Income Allowance to support herself. She dreams of her children completing all stages of their education: "That they finish secondary school, high school, go to university... what I can't do, I want them to do." Stories like this family's illustrate CaixaProinfancia's purpose: to prevent vulnerability from being perpetuated from generation to generation and to offer children ongoing support that strengthens their educational, emotional, and social development.

I read last week that a person who commutes to work on the Cercanías (local train) loses an average of 46 hours each year waiting for delayed trains. I understand the despair of those who suffer this absurdity and the impact it has on society. Despite these very different problems, I can't help but draw the analogy with child poverty. How long have we known that one in three children in our country suffers? Until when will we repeat that addressing it must be a priority? How does the situation of those who suffer deteriorate while they wait for solutions?

The Generalitat (Catalan Government) is seeking families with children who are entitled to child benefits and who, for various reasons, are not receiving them. This is one of the measures proposed by the Committee of Experts for Transformation and Social Innovation (CETIS), which a few months ago was tasked by the Ministry of Social Rights with finding ways to reduce the number of children who are entitled to benefits. the child poverty rate, which stands at 34% and which, in the words of Minister Mònica Martínez Bravo, is "persistent and higher" than the European Union average (20%), and even that of Spain (29.2%). In fact, only Bulgaria (35%) surpasses it.

One in three students needs educational support. This was the main headline at the start of the school year. A striking statement that highlights one of the greatest challenges facing Catalan schools, but one that must also be broken down in order to address them. What exactly does it mean that a student needs educational support?

More than 460,000 Catalan children live at risk of poverty or social exclusion. That's one in three. The economy continues to grow—outperforming Spain's and Europe's—and with such a low unemployment rate. as we haven't seen it since before the 2008 financial crisis.

More than 412,000 children under 16 living in Catalonia are poor, which is equivalent to 34.8% of the total population of this age group. Social entities and the Ombudsman have been warning for many years about the risks of so many minors living in families with material deficiencies that impact on their future expectations, since not even social shields in the form of benefits are strong enough to reduce inequality of opportunity. The data on child poverty is taken from the latest Survey of Living Conditions published this Thursday by the Institute of Statistics (Idescat), which, on the contrary, indicates that the rate of poverty and social exclusion in the population as a whole has been reduced in this last year by 0.4 points, a very low decrease compared to the current social situation: however, 24% of Catalans (one in four) live in poverty with deficiencies of all kinds in their daily lives.