1 in 8 children in absolute poverty

(ANSA) - Rome, November 28 - One in eight children in Italy is in absolute poverty, ISTAT said Wednesday.
    The percentage of minors who also see their access to essential goods and services shut off was 12.1% in 2017, only slightly better than 2016's 12.5%, for a total of some 1.2 million children.
    The figure has not been below 10% since 2014.
    In 2005, when measurements began, before the financial crisis of 2008-9, it was just 3.9%.
    The incidence of child poverty is higher in the poorer south of Italy, at 13.9%.