A LEADING children's charity says up to 150,000 children in the North-East are living in poverty.
Latest figures highlighted by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) today - on the UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty - show that 30 per cent of the 500,000 children in the region continue to live below the poverty line.
Kate Green, chief executive of CPAG, said: "While there are 150,000 children in the North-East region living in poverty, there is a huge job of work to be done.
"Poverty seriously damages children's lives and their opportunities, so it makes both moral and economic sense to tackle it.
"Although poverty in the developing world has rightly been the focus of political attention this year, we must not forget the poverty that remains closer to home.
"We need a Make Poverty History in the UK campaign to run alongside the international poverty effort and force the issue to the top of the political agenda."
A number of events will take place across the country to mark the UN Day.
In London, a conference organised by the Trades Union Congress, End Child Poverty, Bond, Oxfam and the Network of Unemployed Workers' Centres will discuss the lessons Make Poverty History has for the campaign against poverty in the UK.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article