ChaPTer 3 Children and poverty: Breaking the vicious cycle No one is more vulnerable to poverty than children. Poverty perpetuates the cycle of disadvantage and inequity, which robs millions of children of their potential and causes irreparable damage that reverberates throughout a lifetime. Putting children at the heart of poverty reduction is one of the best ways to break that cycle and create a level playing field for every child. Muhammad Modu, 15, The amount of money available in a household plays a crucial role in determining internally displaced from the opportunities a child may encounter in life. But for children, poverty is about Malori, digs through a rubbish more than money. it affects very real aspects of their lives – including whether dump for saleable items in they can attend school, be well nourished or have access to health care, safe Maiduguri, Nigeria. drinking water and sanitation. Children from the poorest households are the most likely to die from preventable causes and the least likely to have access to quality © UNICEF/UN016293/Gilbertson vII education and health care. Photo efforts to reduce child poverty must therefore go beyond moving households above a monetary threshold. a multidimensional approach is critical to respond to this multifaceted challenge. This chapter begins by looking at how children experience poverty. it then asks how many of the world’s children live in poverty, defined in terms of ‘extreme’, ‘moderate’ and ‘relative’ monetary poverty. it also explores the multiple and overlapping dimensions of poverty that further deprive children of their rights. The chapter argues that the key to a more equitable world is reducing child poverty in all its dimensions and narrowing the gaps between those who are most and least advantaged. it notes that consistent measurement – and knowing who the most disadvantaged children are, where they live and how they are deprived – is essential to developing successful policies and programmes to end child poverty. finally, the chapter examines the role of cash transfer programmes in reducing poverty and inequality and improving equitable access to nutrition, health, education and other services. The STaTe of The World’S Children 2016 69