Child Poverty
...n are living in dwellings with more than five people per room or which have a mud floor; Over half a billion children (31%) have no kind of toilet facility; Nearly 376 million (20%) of children use unsafe water sources or have more than a 15-minute walk to water; 134 million children aged between 7 and 18 (13%) have never been to school; 91 million children under 5 (15%) are severely malnourished; 265 million children (15%) have never received any immunizations or have chronic, untreated diarrhea; Nearly 450 million aged between 3 and 18 (25%) have no access to a radio, television, telephone, or newspapers at home This study found significant differences between regions, with Sub-Saharan Africa having the highest rates of severe deprivation with respect to four of the seven indicators - shelter, water, education and health. There were also clear gender differences, particularly with regards to education deprivation, with girls 60% more likely to be severely educationally deprived. Girls in the Middle East and North Africa region are three times more likely than boys to be educationally deprived. Children in rural areas are much more likely to be severely deprived than urban children, particularly with regards to water, sanitation and education. In a number of countries, absolute poverty rates among children in rural areas are as high as 90%. Causes: Here are some of the causes of child poverty: Half the world -- nearly three billion people -- lives on less than two dollars a day. The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the poorest 48 nations (i.e. a quarter of the world's countries) is less than the wealth of the world's three richest people combined. Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names. Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn't happen. Possible solutions: To resolve this difficult issue every country should do at least: increase employment opportunities, raising incomes for those who can work; increase support for those who cannot work; improve the effectiveness of public services that tackle material deprivation, for instance housing and homelessness; improve those public services that can contribute most to increasing the future life chances of children in households suffering low income, for example education, and ensure public services and the welfare system work well together when families face crisis points in their lives; and improve services for children and their families living in deprived areas, including targeted programs. Special interest group: UNICEF Why does UNICEF do this? Because: children have rights the world has set goals for children children demand a voice the people of the world say ‘YES’ for children children should not be dying from preventable causes The structure of UNICEF: With its strong presence in 157 countries, UNICEF is the world's leading advocate for children. The heart of UNICEF's work is in the field, with 126 country offices, some serving several countries. Each country office carries out UNICEF's mission through a unique program of cooperation developed with the host government. This five-year program focuses on practical ways to realize the rights of children and women. Their needs are analyzed in a situation report produced at the beginning of the program cycle. Regional offices guide this work and provide technical assistance to country offices as needed. UNICEF's wor...