About 11,000 children in Iceland have at least one parent who is unemployed, while 467 children contend with both parents out of work, and the situation is worst of all in the Suðurnes region – where Keflavík is located – as unemployment is highest there.
Lára Björnsdóttir, an official for the Ministry of Social Affairs, told RÚV that it was of paramount importance that the government take action now to prevent children from growing up in poverty.
Most children are living well despite the economic crisis, she added. Play schools and primary schools are doing well, which is a feat in itself. However, the economic crisis effects different children in different ways, usually depending on where they live: unemployment is highest in Suðurnes, yet lowest in the West Fjords.
The greatest number of children who live with both parents out of work – 467 – live in the Suðurnes region. For this reason, Björnsdóttir believes that different regions of the country should be entitled to extra levels of assistance from the state.