3.8 million children live in deprived urban areas in Italy

Nearly 3.8 million children and adolescents aged between 0 and 19 - or two fifths of the population in this age group - live in Italy's 14 metropolitan cities, and of these the majority reside in disadvantaged neighbourhoods lacking space, stimulation and opportunities, according to a new report released by Save the Children on Monday, Azernews reports, citing ANSA.

Of the 114 municipalities making up these large metropolitan areas 33 present higher factors of disadvantage such as low income level and poor access to housing and education, according to the report 'Making Room for Growth' published for the launch of the awareness campaign 'Qui vivo' (I live here) on the condition of children and adolescents living in Italy's geographical, social and educational peripheries.

In these same areas, 240 educational institutions are at risk of "downsizing", the report notes.

The government of Premier Giorgia Meloni has pledged to crack down on juvenile crime, youth problems and 'educational poverty' in the wake of a series of high-profile crimes involving minors in deprived urban areas including Caivano near Naples and Palermo in Sicily.