as in other studies by eclac and unicef therefore childhood is understood to refer to the population aged to years the particular concern for children and adolescents comes in response not only to their overrepresentation among the poor but also to their greater dependency and lack of autonomy within families and to their particular vulnerability to the consequences of poverty and inequality any measurement of poverty among children should recognize their specific characteristics and adopt households and individuals as the unit of analysis according to the state of the worlds children children living in poverty experience deprivation of the material spiritual and emotional resources needed to survive develop and thrive leaving them unable to enjoy their rights achieve their full potential or participate as full and equal members of society unicef p