Ethics, Poverty and Children's Vulnerability. Issue 3 (3rd July 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Schweiger, Gottfried
• Is Part Of: Ethics & social welfare. Volume 13:Issue 3(2019)
• Page Start: 288
• Page End: 301
• Publication Date: 2019-07-03
• Subjects: Children's vulnerability -- child poverty -- child well-being -- ethics -- responsibilities; Social service -- Moral and ethical aspects -- Periodicals; Public welfare -- Moral and ethical aspects -- Periodicals; 361.3
• DOI: 10.1080/17496535.2019.1593480
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1749-6535

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This paper is concerned with child poverty from an ethical perspective and applies the normative concept of vulnerability for this purpose. The first part of the paper will briefly outline children's particular vulnerability and distinguish important aspects of this. Then the concept will be applied to child poverty and it will be shown that child poverty is a corrosive situational vulnerability, with many severe consequences. In this part of the paper normative reasoning and empirical literature will be brought together. Then, the next section will establish why this increased vulnerability of poor children and the harm to their well-being and well-becoming, which they suffer for this reason, are of ethical concern. It will be discussed that child poverty is a structural problem based on social, political and economic factors. The concluding section will then briefly outline why it is imperative to protect children from the vulnerabilities associated with poverty.