RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Six out of 10 minors in Brazil live in poverty, according to a report released on Tuesday by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
The study, based on figures from the 2015 national census, indicates 61 percent of Brazilian minors, or 32 million children and adolescents, are living in conditions of poverty.
The study also analyzes their access to six basic human rights: education, information, housing, water, child labor laws and basic sanitation.
Of the 32 million, 18 million are financially poor, meaning they do not have enough money to buy basic food items. The remaining 14 million, while not considered economically poor, are denied access to at least one of their basic rights.
Access is also unequally distributed, with children of color less likely to benefit from basic rights, according to the study.
Among children of color, 58.3 percent are denied access to at least one basic right, compared to 38 percent of white children.
The problem is worse in rural areas and in the country's poorer north and northeast regions.
"It is necessary to work more and with greater precision on to design public policies and programs for children and adolescents of color," UNICEF said in its report.
Officials should pay special attention to providing access to clean water and sanitation, the report says.
