Poverty in Indigenous Youth

Poverty in Indigenous Youth

Some behavioral problems including impulsiveness, difficulty getting along with peers, aggression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorder are more prevalent in poverty stricken youth.

Risky behaviors such as smoking or engaging in early sexual activity

greater risk of behavioral and emotional problems.

Chronic conditions such as asthma, anemia and pneumonia

Exposure to environmental contaminants, e.g., lead paint and toxic waste dumps

Poor nutrition which is manifested in the following ways:

Inadequate food which can lead to food insecurity/hunger

Lack of access to healthy foods and areas for play or sports which can lead to childhood overweight or obesity

Exposure to violence in their communities which can lead to trauma, injury, disability and mortality

feelings of anxiety, depression and low self-esteem

Children and teens who experience poverty are at greater risk for several negative outcomes such as: poor academic achievement or school dropout, abuse and neglect, behavioral and socioemotional problems, physical health problems, and developmental delays.

Unsafe neighborhoods may expose low-income children to violence which can cause a number of psychosocial difficulties. Violence exposure can also predict future violent behavior in youth which places them at greater risk of injury and mortality and entry into the juvenile justice system.

Poverty is linked with negative conditions such as below standard housing, homelessness, inadequate nutrition and food insecurity, inadequate child care, lack of access to health care, unsafe neighborhoods, and under resourced schools

Exposure to violence in their communities which can lead to trauma, injury, disability and mortality

FONTS

Indigenous children in Canada are over two and a half times more likely to live in poverty than non-Indigenous children

Youth Poverty in:

Canada

Indigenous children trail the rest of Canada’s children on practically every measure of wellbeing:

family income, educational attainment, crowding and homelessness, poor water quality, infant mortality, health and suicide.

What is causing the high Poverty rates?

Income levels

lack of education

unemployment

First Nations schools on reserve, for example, receive approximately $2,000 less per student, per year than provincially funded schools

Non-Indigenous youth living in poverty

Families living on reserve receive fewer child welfare supports than those served by provincial agencies

Indigenous youth living in poverty

“The average child poverty rate for all Indigenous children in Canada is 40%, compared to 15% for non-Indigenous children.”

Non-Indigenous youth NOT living in poverty

Indigenous youth

NOT living in poverty

Canada ranks 4th on the U.N. Human Development Index, but would rank 78th if we allowed for statistics on Indigenous poverty.

Why Everyone Should Care:

Economically

lower high school graduation rates.

Aboriginal youth (45.1 per cent) were less likely to be employed compared to their non-Aboriginal counterparts (55.6 per cent).

Moral responsibility

Indigenous suicide rates are 11 times higher than other people in Canada

over representation of Indigenous women and men in Canada’s prison system

Why Should Everyone Care?

Economically

unemployment rate for Indigenous Australians was around five times the rate for non-Indigenous Australians in 2012

References

Youth Poverty

detention rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people was around 24 times the rate for non-Indigenous young people

What is causing this poverty?

What are the effects of youth poverty?

Works Cited

"ACOSS Poverty Report." ACOSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 June 2016. <http://www.acoss.org.au/images/uploads/ACOSS_Poverty_October_2011.pdf>.

"Alleviating poverty in remote Indigenous Australia: The role of the hybrid economy." Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 June 2016. <http://natsem.canberra.edu.au/storage/Poverty-Social-Exclusion-and-Disadvantage.pdf>.

"Australia." Cartias Australia. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 June 2016. <http://www.caritas.org.au/learn/countries/australia>.

"Challenges Facing Canada Poverty and food insecurity are disproportionately high for Aboriginal children in Canada." Canadian Feed the Children. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 June 2016. <http://www.canadianfeedthechildren.ca/where/canada>.

"40% of Indigenous children in Canada live in poverty." Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 June 2016. <https://www.policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/news-releases/40-indigenous-children-canada-live-poverty-study>.

"The Gap: Indigenous Disadvantage in Australia." Australians Together. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 June 2016. <http://australianstogether.org.au/stories/detail/the-gap-indigenous-disadvantage-in-australia>.

Hildebrandt, Amber. "Half of First Nations children live in poverty Rate rises above 60% in Saskatchewan, Manitoba." CBC: n. pag. Print. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/half-of-first-nations-children-live-in-poverty-1.1324232

Research has determined that living in poverty has a wide range of negative effects on the physical and mental health and well-being of children and youth.

The median income for Indigenous households was just over half that of non-Indigenous households in 2011-13 ($465 compared with $869)

These inequalities are direct consequences of Australia’s colonial history, which has included violence and warfare, discriminatory and unjust policies and imposed governing structures that oppress and divide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Youth Poverty in:

Australia