UNICEF: A third of minors in Greece at risk of poverty

The quality of life of children in Greece has worsened due to cuts in social benefits, a growing number of unemployed parents, increasing poverty levels and inadequate access to medical care, according to a report by the children’s charity UNICEF, whose findings were made public on Thursday.

The report found that the number of children in the country who were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2012 rose to 686,009, or 35.4 percent of the total, up from 30.4 percent in 2011.

A total of 292,000 children, or 13.2 percent of all minors in Greece, were living with parents or guardians who were unemployed, the report found.

In 2008, before the crisis, this number was 88,000.