As the STV Appeal 2011 enters its final stage with a live broadcast on the channel this Friday, it is important to remember Scotland has led the world in protecting children's rights for centuries - but problems still exist
Two hundred years ago, Scotland’s battle with child poverty began in a classroom of New Lanark.
Social reformer Robert Owen built a school for the children of his millworkers in the 1820s. Owen was a passionate believer in the value and protection of young people at a time when the majority of powerful and influential people across the world didn't care.
The New Lanark model was copied around the world, and much of Owen's philosophy is still recognised by anti-poverty campaigners.
In modern times, great strides have been made in the past ten years to tackle the problem. But child poverty figures in Scotland have flat lined. Some analysts even predict it will rise again in the future.
Martin Wilie-McFarlane, from Shelter Scotland, says 22,000 children are homeless in the country. He added: "It is a shameful statistic for modern day Scotland. It is important to remember that half of those children are under the age of five."
