BRUSSELS: Child poverty is increasing in many of the richest countries, according to a new report.

The report by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) released in Brussels on Wednesday says up to 50 million children are living in poverty in rich nations, and the proportion of poor children has increased in 17 of the world's richest countries since the early 1990s.

The Florence-based Innocenti Research Centre of UNICEF, which carried out the study, says children are in poverty when they live in households with an income per head that is 50 per cent or less of the national average for their country.

UNICEF regional director in Geneva, Philip O'Brien, says that definition is relative. "The child living in poverty in the US is clearly not as badly off as the child in Mexico," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

UNICEF says that although it is widely assumed that child poverty in rich countries is falling, in only four countries - Australia, Norway, Britain and the United States - has there been a significant decrease over the past ten years.

"No matter which of the commonly used poverty measures is applied, the situation of children is seen to have deteriorated over the last decade," says the report. In the United States and Britain the rates still remain high.

In the United States approximately 22 per cent of those aged under 18 live in relative poverty, while Britain still has 15 per cent of the child population below its poverty line, despite a government campaign that has led to a 10 per cent drop.

Nordic countries appear to have poverty under control due to higher social spending. Denmark (2.4 per cent) and Finland (2.8 per cent) are among the countries with the least child poverty.

The report was based on figures supplied over the past 15 years by governments to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, which tracks the economies of its 30 high-income member nations. Of these, 24 were included in the study.

Launching the report in Brussels, Marta Santos Pais, director of the Innocenti centre, said three fundamental forces determined child poverty rates - social trends, labour market conditions and government policies.

"Government commitment to fighting poverty among children and implementing policies designed to this end could make a significant difference," she told media representatives on Wednesday.

"Societies are investing little in younger groups but this can affect the future of societies as a whole," she added. "Reducing child poverty is a measure of progress towards social cohesion, equality of opportunity, and investment in both today's children and tomorrow's world."

UNICEF is urging OECD governments to establish credible monitoring systems and timeframes for the progressive reduction of child poverty. "There needs to be more research, clear national strategies and political leadership," said Santos Pais. "Governments also need to identify time-bound targets and publicise the level of child poverty in their countries."

Dr Hugh Frazer, an expert on social protection and social inclusion at the European Commission's Directorate General for Employment and Social Affairs, said the European Union has to hear the "clear message" in the report.

"The international comparison between EU member states helps us to see things more clearly. While the results of the report are largely pessimistic, there are also optimistic aspects - it shows that policy can make a real difference," he said at the launch. -Dawn/The Inter Press News Service.