Working together for children [Archives:2005/905/Last Page]
December 22 2005
 |
To the shadows of darkness God said: “let there be light”. And so, the creation was blessed with the ability to see and discover. With time, blinded by selfishness and greed, man ignored this blessing and darkness overwhelmed in spite of the light. Yet like there is universal evil, there is universal good represented by the people and organizations that have taken it upon their shoulders to make this world a better place.
This time the hope is dedicated towards children. Not just any children but the excluded and the invisible ones. UNICEF highlights this hope through “The State of the World's Children 2006: Excluded and Invisible”. This report, which was launched around the world last week, explores the causes of exclusion and the abuses children experience, and calls on all concerned people to take up serious measures in order to improve the situation.
According to UNICEF, millions of children disappear from view when trafficked or forced to work in domestic servitude. Other children, such as street children, live in plain sight but are excluded from fundamental services and protections. Not only do these children endure abuse, most are shut out from school, healthcare and other vital services they need to grow and thrive. Without focused attention, millions of children will remain trapped and forgotten in childhoods of neglect and abuse, with devastating consequences for their long-term well-being and the development of nations. The report argues that any society with an interest in the welfare of its children and its own future must not allow this to happen.
Children and the MDGs
Meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the broader aims of the Millennium Declaration would transform the lives of millions of children, who would be spared illness and premature death, escape extreme poverty and malnutrition, gain access to safe water and decent sanitation facilities and complete primary schooling. Though some regions and countries have fallen behind on the goals, they can still be met. The Member States of the United Nations are committed to meeting the MDGs and have coalesced around a set of key initiatives to accelerate progress. Putting these initiatives into practice will demand renewed commitment to the Millennium agenda and additional resources. It will also require a much stronger focus on reaching those children currently excluded from essential services and denied protection and participation.
Unless manymore of these children are reached, several of the MDGs – particularly the goal on universal primary education – will simply not be met on time or in full. The children who are hardest to reach include those living in the poorest countries and most deprived communities within countries, and those facing discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity, disability or belonging to an indigenous group; children caught up in armed conflict or affected by HIV/AIDS; and children who lack a formal identity, who suffer child protection abuses or who are not treated as children.
These children, the factors that exclude them and make them invisible, and the actions that those responsible for their well-being must take to safeguard and include them are the focus of The State of the World's Children 2006.
Who are the Invisible?
Millions of children navigate life without protection from deliberate harm. These children become invisible when they suffer abuse and exploitation in hidden situations and go uncounted in statistics. Even children we see every day can become 'invisible' to us when they are neglected or ignored.
Children without a formal identity
Birth registration
Children who are not registered at birth are not counted in statistics or formally recognized as members of society. Without a formal identity, children may not have access to essential services including education, healthcare and social security, and cannot protect themselves in dangerous situations where they may not be treated as children.
– Every year, 55 per cent of all births in the developing world (excluding China) go unregistered: over 50 million children beginning life with no identity.
– In South Asia alone, 24 million children are not registered at birth, the region with the highest number of unregistered births.
– In sub-Saharan Africa, 18 million births are unregistered.
Children without parental care
Orphans
Children who suffer the death of their parents are denied their first line of protection. Burdened by sudden responsibilities or forced to fend for themselves, many become less visible in their communities because they drop out of school or fall victim to exploitation.
– 143 million children in the developing world – 1 in every 13 – are orphans.
– More than 16 million children were orphaned in 2003 alone.
– 15 million children have already been orphaned by AIDS.
Children on the streets
Tens of millions of children live on the streets in plain sight, but paradoxically are among the most invisible, their plight ignored and their needs neglected. Street children are vulnerable to all forms of exploitation and abuse.
Children in detention
There is scarce data on children who are detained, but current estimates put the figure at more than 1 million children globally. Their access to healthcare, education and protection is far from guaranteed. Many of these children are no longer treated as children and suffer physical and sexual violence. UNICEF firmly believes that detention should be a last resort and only a temporary measure for children.
Children prematurely in adult roles
Conflict
Hundreds of thousands of children are caught up in armed conflict as combatants, messengers, porters, cooks and sex slaves for armed forces and groups. While under the control of armed forces, children are forced to participate in and endure horrific atrocities. It is estimated that over 250,000 children are currently serving as child soldiers in armed conflicts worldwide.
Early marriage
Early marriage can put an end to all education opportunities and is all too often the gateway to a lifetime of domestic and sexual subservience. It can also lead to early death for young brides who become pregnant prematurely: girls under 15 are five times more likely to die in childbirth than girls in their twenties. Their children are also less likely to survive.
– 1 in every 3 girls in the developing world is married before 18.
– In the poorest countries, the ratio rises to 1 in every 2 girls.
Hazardous labour
An estimated 171 million children – of which 73 million are under 10 years old – are working in hazardous situations or conditions, including work with chemicals and pesticides in agriculture, with dangerous machinery or in mines. These children face serious risks of injury, illness and death, and many are missing out on education.
Children who are exploited
Trafficking
Children who are trafficked disappear into underground and illegal worlds, most often forced into commercial sex work, hazardous labour or domestic service. They are almost entirely invisible in statistics. The best available estimate is that 1.2 million children are trafficked every year.
Forced labour
An estimated 8.4 million children work under horrific circumstances: forced into debt bondage or other forms of slavery, prostitution, pornography, armed conflict or other illicit activities. Forced labour is largely a hidden problem, with little official data or public awareness on its nature or extent.
Domestic service
It is likely that millions of children toil in private homes but the hidden nature of this work makes a reliable figure impossible to obtain. Children who are exploited in domestic service are among the most invisible child labourers. Many are banned entirely from going to school, suffer physical abuse and are underfed or overworked.
The State of the World's Children is UNICEF's annual flagship publication. It is the most comprehensive survey of global trends affecting children and provides the most thorough almanac of up-to-date statistical data on children. Data tables from the report are fully searchable at www.unicef.org/sowc06
This year the launch of The State of the World's Children officially kicks off UNICEF's 60th anniversary. UNICEF is the world's leader for children, working on the ground in 157 countries to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence.
——
[archive-e:905-v:14-y:2005-d:2005-12-22-p:lastpage]
