(London, UK) The biggest ever event to End Child Poverty takes place in London this Saturday, 4th October, with thousands expected to participate in a march from Millbank via Westminster to Trafalgar Square.
According to the latest statistics from the End Child Poverty Campaign - 1 in 3 children are in poverty. They say 5.5 million children are in families that are classed as “struggling” - 98% of children in some areas.
Campaigners are staging the ‘Keep The Promise’ event on Saturday urging the Government to keep to their promises on eradicating poverty.
Over 130 UK organisations, including the UK Autism Foundation, are supporting the End Child Poverty march.
Supporting the campaign is Ivan Corea of the UK Autism Foundation who said: ‘The credit crunch is devastating families with autism. Many are faced with increased food bills, fuel bills, some face re-possessions. We are urging the Government to step in and help the vulnerable and the marginalised financially….this must include an increase in tax credits, the disability living allowance and the carer’s allowance.’
The UKAF’s appeal is also supported by the highly influential Baroness Uddin of Bethnal Green in the House of Lords. Lady Uddin has campaigned for over a decade on child poverty and minority ethnic communities in the United Kingdom, especially in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
The UK Autism Foundation has just released a newsletter highlighting ‘Autism and the Credit Crunch.’ The charity calls on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to help families with autism who are below the poverty line - the suffering is very real, according to UK autism campaigners and they are appealing urgent help. The UK Autism Foundation has announced plans to build the first ever state-of-the-art Autism Centre in London - based in the London Borough of Redbridge, build an Autism School to service the needs of children and young people with autism across East London from Tower Hamlets to Redbridge and to reach out to the poor - the charity hopes to build a fund in order to help the poor.
The charity is urging companies, entreprenuers and organisations to partner with them in the ‘vision for autism’ they have set up a target of £10 million in order to make the vision a reality. Supporting the UKAF is Lee Scott MP who is championing the cause of autism in the House of Commons, Scott is a member of the powerful House of Commons Select Committee on Health - he has accepted the position of Patron of the UK Autism Foundation and has pledged to support this work.
Parents, carers, children and adults with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome are expected at the event on Saturday. People are meeting at Millbank, near Lambeth Bridge at 11 30 am on Saturday 4th October followed by a march through Westminster to Trafalgar Square. Family fun will follow at 1400 with speakers at Trafalgar Square. The Children’s Society celebrity campaigner Sophie Ellis Bextor will be among them.
For further particulars please see the organiser’s website:
http://www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/promises
For the UK Autism Foundation website:
http://www.ukautismfoundation.org
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2 users commented in " End Child Poverty Campaign Rally: Gordon Brown urged to increase DLA, CLA "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI whole heartedly support people contributing to charities like the UK Autism Foundation or any other charity that helps the less fortunate.
I do however have a few problems with how these poverty figures are computed. They by definition compare families that have children with the average level of income. They define poverty as having below average income.
I live in a country where poverty is defined as the inability to provide enough food or not having enough money for even the simplest surgical procedures.
No one in the UK is that poor. Various social welfare programs insure that everyone has enough to eat and if your children needs medical treatment then it is free.
These poverty groups define poverty as being too poor to buy the latest computer game or not being able to afford top of the line trainers or family holidays in an exotic locale.
This is hardly considered poor in most of the world.
Given that immigrants to the UK have a higher birth rate compared to the UK average this also raises the number of children in supposed poverty. I am sure if you asked them, they would say they are far richer as a poor person in the UK than they would be had they remained in their home country.
This misguided belief that real poverty actually exists in the UK has prompted Gordon Brown to propose giving every poor kid a Laptop computer. I guess the next thing will be Free Adidas and Villas in Spain.
I think it is right for the UK Autism Foundation to look at the issue of poverty and autism. There are many families, due to personal circumstances who are faced with a drop in family income. It is laudable that the Foundation is speaking up for the poor.
You can’t really live on what £45 a week that is what the allowances give out for families with disability.
What people see is the Government so quick to help out bankers at the Bradford & Bingley, Northern Rock and others - these peole through sheer greed and irresponsibility made bad decisions by getting involved in the sub prime mortage market of the US and yet they are supported by billions of taxpayers money when they crash and yet the politicians hesitate to help the most vulnerable. Who will help the vulnerable when they crash?
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