UNICEF: 1 in 3 children in Greece living in poverty

About one in three children in recession-hit Greece live in poverty, according to a survey presented by the Greek branch of UNICEF. Approximately 597,000 minors, which account for 30.4 percent of the total number of children, are facing poverty and social marginalization, UNICEF and University of Athens experts estimated based on data up to 2011. The figure is 9 percent more than that of 2010. Some 322,000 children did not receive daily nutritional needs as they lived in households that could not cover basic costs for food, clothing, healthcare and education. In 2010, the number stood at 89,000 minors. "The situation is alarming. Poverty and social exclusion are increasing with a negative effect on the living of children, on their welfare, health, education and development," UNICEF Greece's president Lambros Kanellopoulos told Greek national news agency AMNA. Greece has been hit by an acute debt crisis since 2010. A large proportion of Greek households suffer from record rising unemployment, poverty and recession. The Greek branch of UNICEF is organizing a radio marathon on May 28 on local radio channels to raise funds to assist children in need.