Profiling Child Poverty in Four WAEMU Countries : A Comparative Analysis Based on the Multidimensional Poverty Approach

The general objectives of this study are to identify and analyse the factors that contribute to child poverty, then quantify inequalities in child welfare for Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Niger and Togo. Our methodology is based on the multidimensional poverty approach, with the results showing that the following factors explain child poverty in these countries: access to vitamin A; use of iodized salt; breastfeeding; vaccinations against polio, diphtheria, measles and yellow fever; and the prevalence of illnesses such as diarrhoea, bronchitis, fevers and other respiratory ailments. An absolute child poverty line is defined in order to determine the number of children living in poverty, with the results suggesting that 19.4 percent of children in Togo, 21.1 percent in Côte d'Ivoire, 29.0 percent in Guinea-Bissau and 49.7 percent of children in Niger live in poverty