While lack of steady, well-paying jobs is a major factor contributing to poverty across many European countries, political upheaval has also played a huge role. Some countries are still recovering from a past Communist regime, as well as war leaving many children displaced from their homes. From refugee children fleeing Ukraine, to street kids in Albania, to children growing up in the sewers of Romania, many children are left alone and without a family, trying to provide food for themselves.
For many Asian countries, agriculture is a main source of income for billions of people. For a part of the world regularly plagued by natural disasters, this causes drastic economic losses. When families are unable to find regular work, they may be vulnerable to forced labor—including the children! In many parts of Asia where Children’s Hunger Fund serves, traffickers look for children in great need to lure them into dangerous situations with promises of food and shelter.