''We know that poverty continues to steal children's childhoods.''
Over a quarter of children in Ireland are in poverty, equal to just under 320 thousand children, according to a new report from the Department of Children.
This report looks at the depth of poverty amongst children in Ireland and their movements into and out of poverty from 2011 to 2018.
It found that by 2018, the consistent poverty rate for children had decreased from 9.3 per cent in 2011 to 7.7 per cent, a reduction of 1.6 percentage points.
''We have made real progress in Ireland for children in certain categories, said Children's Minister Roderic O'Gorman.
''But we know that poverty continues to steal children's childhoods, their futures and it also continues to undermine the economical social and political well being of the state.''
This report found that in 2018, over a quarter of children whose parents earn around 70% of the median income threshold are in poverty.
It found that almost 190 thousand children at the 60% poverty line were living in poverty.
While almost 89,000 children were living in deep poverty at the 50% poverty line.
The Minister for children says that the national child poverty target seeks to lift over 70,000 children out of consistent poverty by 2020.
