Mothers and children need more – not less – social protection

As several countries around the world prepare to
celebrate Mother’s Day, two new ILO studies provide
new global and country data that point to the urgent
need to increase social protection for mothers and
children.




GENEVA (ILO News) – The lack of access to
social protection* is still a reality for a large
number of mothers and children worldwide,
according to two studies released by the
International Labour Organization (ILO).
The Social protection for maternity: Key policy
trends and statistics  report shows that only 36
per cent of employed women are legally entitled
to cash benefits during their maternity leave. In
practice, however, maternity leave legislation is
not implemented effectively, so only 28 per cent
of working women are covered in case of
maternity.
The study, Social protection for children: key policy
trends and statistics , also paints a worrying
picture. It shows that while there has been an
explosion of small cash transfer schemes in
recent years, there is also a considerable gap
with regard to the availability of adequate child
and family benefits. According to the study, 108
countries have specific child and family benefit
programmes rooted in legislation, but they often
cover small groups.
“Around 800 women die from childbirth every
day. In addition, 18,000 children also pass away
daily. The sad reality is that despite efforts
carried out as part of the Millennium
Development Goals process, maternal and child
mortality rates in developing countries are still
very high,” says Isabel Ortiz, Director of the ILO
Social Protection Department.
Around 800 women die from
childbirth every day (...) Most of
these deaths are preventable with
adequate social protection."
Isabel Ortiz, Director of the ILO Social
Protection Department.
“Most of these deaths are preventable with
adequate social protection. Universal maternal
and child health care is key to reducing high
mortality rates, together with cash transfers to
ensure adequate food, clothing, and access to
social services,” she adds.
Fiscal adjustment reducing social
protection for mothers and children
A worrying trend is that in some countries the
levels of maternity and child protection benefits
have dropped as a result of fiscal consolidation
policies.
For example, several European countries have
reduced the level of maternity and child benefits
or have limited the level of coverage.
“Fiscal consolidation and adjustment measures
threaten progress on social protection for
children and their families,” says Ortiz. “Child
poverty increased in 18 of the 28 countries of the
European Union between 2008 and 2013.”
Universal coverage: How much does
it cost?
On the other hand, several low- and middle-
income countries have either extended the
duration of paid maternity leave or introduced
cash benefits for mothers and children.
However, large coverage gaps remain.
The reports look at a sample of 57 low- and
lower middle-income countries and show that
introducing a basic universal maternity cash
benefit would require, on average, 0.41 per cent
of national gross domestic product (GDP).
Meanwhile, having universal child benefits
would, on average, require 1.9 per cent of
national GDP. The projected costs for a basic
universal child benefit vary greatly between
countries, ranging from 5.2 per cent of GDP for
Niger to 0.2 per cent of GDP for Guyana,
considering that children constitute a large
proportion of the population in these countries.
The same variation applies to basic universal
maternity protection, where it ranges from less
than 0.1 per cent of GDP in Bhutan, Guyana,
India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Morocco, Sri Lanka
and Viet Nam to 1.1 per cent of GDP in Niger.
“At a time when the world is discussing a
post-2015 development agenda, it is essential
that the international community identifies
financing sources for social protection,” says
Ortiz, recalling the ILO Social Protection Floors
Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202)  .
“It is a question of choosing the right priorities:
the total cost of universal benefits to all pregnant
women and all children in 57 lower income
countries is just 0.6 per cent of what G20
countries used to bail out the financial sector in
2009,” concludes Ortiz.
The ILO Social Protection Floors
Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202) reflects a
consensus among governments and employers’
and workers’ organizations from 185 countries
on the need to extend social security.
Both studies include detailed national data on
maternity protection and child and family
benefits for 188 countries surveyed.
* Social protection is defined by the ILO as the set
of public measures that a society provides for its
members to protect them against economic
distress and hardship caused by the absence or a
substantial reduction of income from work because
of illness, maternity, lack of employment, disability,
old age and others; access to health care; and the
provision of benefits for families with children. This
concept of social protection (or social security
guarantees) aimed at reducing/preventing poverty
and vulnerability is reflected in various ILO
standards, approved by countries.www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_366206/lang--en/index.htm?utm_content=buffer70ef4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer