Protecting children\\\'s rights

At a time when the world is about to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in November 2014, with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2015 deadline approaching, credible data about children's situations around the world have become critical to re-examining the commitments the world has made to its children.

This is also time to reaffirm the importance of monitoring as a means to identify gaps in implementation and right the wrongs associated with 'exclusion'. The recently released State of the World's Children 2014 report by UNICEF provides the latest data on a range of indicators that are keys to children's well-being and rights. It also seeks to reflect on the progress made for children and recommit to reaching the millions of children whose rights are not yet fulfilled.

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All children have rights, regardless of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status (article# 2). The child's best interests must be a primary consideration in all decisions affecting her or him (article# 3). All children have a right to life, and to survive and develop - physically, mentally, spiritually, morally, psychologically and socially - to their full potential (article# 6). Children have the right to express themselves freely on matters that affect them, and to have their views taken seriously (article# 12). — The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC): 978-92-806-4731-92-806-4731-0

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What proportion of births is registered, and how many children are thus granted an official identity and the rights that flow from it - rights to services, protection, and the exercise of citizenship? How many children die within a year of being born, and how many never live to see their fifth birthday? How long can those who do survive expect to live? Are they receiving essential vaccines and medicines that will protect them against the diseases that prey on the young and vulnerable? Are they getting the nourishment they need for their bodies and minds to thrive? Do they have clean water for drinking and washing, and access to safe, hygienic toilets? What percentage of children enters primary schools, and how many make it to secondary schools? How many are put to work or get married while still children? Do they enter adolescence equipped with the knowledge of protecting themselves from HIV?

The data presented in this UNICEF document show that tremendous progress has been made during the past few decades: 1) About 90 million children who would have died if mortality rates had stuck at their 1990 level have, instead, lived past the age of five.

2) Deaths from measles in under-five children decreased from 482,000 in 2000 to 86,000 in 2012, which is largely due to improvements in immunisation coverage (from 16 per cent in 1980 to 84 per cent in 2012). 3) Improvements in nutrition have led to a 37 per cent drop in stunting since 1990. 4) Primary school enrolment has increased, even in the least developed countries: whereas in 1990 only 53 per cent of children in these countries gained school admission, by 2011 the rate had improved to 81 per cent. 5) Nearly 1.9 billion people have gained access to improved sanitation since 1990.

But the document also bears witness to the ongoing violations of children's rights: 1) Some 6.6 million children under 5 years of age died in 2012, mostly from preventable causes, their fundamental right to survive and develop unrealised. 2) Fifteen per cent of the world's children engage in child labour that compromises their right to protection from economic exploitation and infringes on their right to learn and play. 3) Eleven per cent of girls are married before they turn 15, jeopardising their right to health, education and protection. 4) The right to freedom from cruel and degrading punishment is violated whenever children are subjected to violent discipline at home or in school. Data presented in this report also show important disparities between and within countries. Of the roughly 18,000 children under five who die every day, the majority come from parts of cities or rural areas which lack access to services because of poverty or geography.  That's why progress needs to be strengthened in these areas.

There is a need to take into account under-represented and invisible children, such as children living in institutions or temporary housing, children in detention, children living and working on the street, children with disabilities, trafficked children, migrants and forced migrants. Under-looked issues should be put at the forefront of the agenda, including early childhood development, the impact of malnutrition on adult lives and violence against children including female genital mutilation/cutting.

This well-documented UNICEF report builds on the latest data derived from the UNICEF global databases, on inter-agency estimates and nationally representative household surveys such as Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) and Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), and on data from other UN organisations. Country-level data are presented for a range of indicators: basic indicators; nutrition; health; HIV-AIDS; demographic indicators; economic indicators; women; child protection; rate of progress; adolescents; disparities by residence and household wealth; early childhood development.

It is true that data alone do not change the world. But authentic and reliable data, disseminated effectively and used correctly, make it possible to target investments and interventions to reach the most vulnerable children. They make change possible - by identifying needs, supporting advocacy, gauging progress and holding duty bearers to account. It is our hope that The State of the World's Children 2014 report will nurture the action necessary to fulfil the commitments to children contained in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the MDGs, and the obligations that will be enshrined in the post-MDG agenda.

The writer is an independent researcher.

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Every Child Counts: Revealing Disparities, Advancing Children's Rights — The State of the World's Children 2014 in Numbers

 Published by Unicef, ISBN: 978-92-806-4731-0 ISBN