The Other Side of Poverty: Social Exclusion in Children

Abstract

Social exclusion is a multidimensional concept defined as being removed from social resources and opportunities, being incapable of participating in society, and being socially disadvantaged in society. Children are among the population groups most affected by social exclusion. Social exclusion not only negatively affects children’s health and physical, emotional, mental, and social development but also causes negative long-term effects on children. Among these are issues such as insufficient social and cultural capital, impaired social functionality, low social participation, difficulty in participating in employment, lack of social security, social pathologies, and inability to participate in the decision-making mechanism. Poverty is intertwined with social exclusion in that it prevents children from accessing the social welfare, living conditions, goods and services, social resources, and opportunities society generally has access to and deprives children of social participation and social integration due to the deprivations it creates. This study aims to analyze the relationship between poverty and social exclusion in children. The study examines views on the relationship between poverty and social exclusion, the short- and long-term effects of poverty-induced social exclusion on children, and the steps taken to combat social exclusion regarding children in Türkiye.

Keywords

• poverty
• social exclusion
• child poverty
• social exclusion in children