| Despite Peru’s economic performance being | | | | Despite National trends showing a reduction in child |
| among the best in Latin America poverty remains high | | | | mortality and an increase in school enrolment since the |
| and widespread. Peru had the fastest growing | | | | mid 1990s chronic rates of under – nutrition prevail in |
| economy in the region in 2002 but unemployment was | | | | rural areas. Children’s growth and development are |
| still very high and poverty reduction strategies have | | | | affected by poor nutrition. Despite progress in access |
| not had sustainable results. Peru’s poverty levels | | | | to services for the poor, disparities between urban and |
| are above those of Argentina and Brazil based on | | | | rural areas and across different regions mortality |
| US$2/day poverty line. | | | | remains high. A quarter of the population has no |
| Crecer (Grow) is the latest government initiative which | | | | access to health services despite free health care |
| focuses on child malnutrition. | | | | since 2002. |
| 25 percent of children under five years have stunted | | | | Children are the most vulnerable and unprotected. Of |
| growth in relation to their age and this rises to 66 | | | | the 3.8 million people living in extreme poverty 2.1 million |
| percent in the seven poorest regions. The aim is to | | | | are children. Of the 10.2 million under 18 population 6.5 |
| reduce the average to 20 percent by 2011. | | | | million live below the poverty line. Poverty remains high |
| Almost half the population is poor, significantly higher in | | | | and the proportion of children who live in poverty is |
| the rural areas, and 20 percent are classed as | | | | much higher than figures for the population as a whole |
| extremely poor. In the urban areas poverty is the most | | | | often indicates. |
| unequal. | | | | Socio – economic disparities and exclusion continue |
| More than 39 percent of the total population and two | | | | to affect children and adolescents who are not |
| thirds of the rural population in Peru live below the | | | | benefitting from the economic growth. Enrolment for |
| poverty line. | | | | school declines with age due to the expense of |
| Inequalities in human development can be seen | | | | keeping a child in school. Child labor is a factor here as |
| between urban and rural areas, Spanish and | | | | nearly 90 percent of children help out at home or work |
| non-Spanish speakers and across the climate zones. | | | | on the family farm. |
| Most of the extreme poor live in rural areas in the | | | | Levels of poverty, mortality rates and malnourishment |
| highlands and the rural jungles and have Quechua, | | | | among indigenous groups are twice as high as national |
| Aymara and other languages as their native tongue | | | | averages. Peru has one of the highest levels of |
| rather than Spanish. They have fewer opportunities to | | | | income inequality and the gap between the rich and |
| progress through life due to the obvious discrimination | | | | poor is widening. |
| caused by language barriers. | | | | |