20 Term 3 2014

Every Child Counts

The State of the Worlds Children
By Frankie Rodney
Every year for over thirty years now, the
United Nations Childrens Fund
(UNICEF) has published tables of
standardised global and national
statistics aimed at providing a detailed
picture of childrens circumstances
around the globe.
The basic idea is that credible data about
childrens situations are critical to the
improvement of their lives and
indispensable to realising the rights of
every child.
Over the years, progress has certainly
been made a number of the statistics
published this year are very promising.
Around 90 million children lived past
the age of 5 who would have died had
mortality rates remained at their 1990
level;
Death from measles among children
under 5 fell from 482,000 in 2000 to
86,000 in 2012;
Nearly 1.9 billion people have gained
access to improved sanitation since
1990;
... primary school enrolment in the least
developed countries has risen from 53 per
cent in 1990 to 81 per cent in 2011.
Improved nutrition has led to a 37 per
cent drop in stunted growth;
and primary school enrolment in the
least developed countries has risen
from 53 per cent in 1990 to 81 per cent
in 2011.
Sadly though, childrens rights continue
to be violated.
Something like 6.6 million children
under the age of 5 died in 2012, mostly
from preventable causes;
Fifteen per cent of the worlds children
engage in child labour;
eleven per cent of girls are married
before their ffteenth birthday;
and the poorest children in the world
are 2.7 times less likely to have a skilled
attendant at their birth than the worlds
richest children.
The data collected and disseminated by
UNICEF has played a huge role in the
progress shown, as well as identifying
areas which still need work and helping
to strengthen commitment to childrens
rights internationally.
In response to these widespread violations
of childrens rights, the international
community created the Convention on the
Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1989 which
means that in November this year the
world will commemorate its 25th
anniversary.
The four main principles of the CRC are
non-discrimination; best interests; life,
survival and development; and respect
for the views of the child. The CRC is an
attempt to recognise that children are
people who have equal rights to those of
adults which must be respected.
By signing up to the CRC, State parties
(countries) around the world committed
and obligated themselves to report
regularly on their populations of children.
Many agencies contribute to the collection
of data, including national authorities,
universities, and non-governmental
organisations in different countries.
Most importantly, UNICEF developed a
number of surveys called Multiple Indicator
Cluster Surveys (MICS) which are
conducted in each country by their own
statistical offces. In Australia the
equivalent offce would be the Australian
Bureau of Statistics.
21 Term 3 2014
Australia is ranked
161st out of 194
countries in regard
to the mortality rate
of children under
5 years old...
The surveys and data collection methods
are constantly being monitored and
updated. In 2010 the MICS found that only
28 per cent of births had been registered
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
As a result, action plans were developed
and implemented and ultimately resulted
in a surge in birth registration. In one
district the fgure jumped from 6 per cent
to 41 per cent in a period of 6 months!
Other issues which had previously been
overlooked and are now receiving extra
attention are the diffculties faced by
children with disabilities, early childhood
development and the root causes of
violence against children.

How does Australia fare?
Australia is ranked 161st out of 194
countries in regard to the mortality rate of
children under 5 years old with a total of
2,000 deaths in 2012. The under fve
mortality rate has dropped 47 per cent
since 1990.
Luxembourg and Iceland had the lowest
mortality rates while a number of African
countries including Sierra Leone, Angola,
Chad, and Somalia had the highest.
The rate of use of improved drinking water
and sanitation facilities in Australia is 100
per cent.
Our net primary school enrolment ratio
from 2008-2011 was 97 per cent and for
secondary school participation was
recorded at 85 and 86 per cent for males
and females respectively.
Interestingly the number of mobile phones
per 100 people in Australia in 2012 was
106, which 82 internet users per 100 were
recorded.
Births in Australia are institutional in 99
per cent of cases and 98 per cent of
women receive at least one appointment
of ante natal care during their pregnancy.
The maternal mortality rate is negligible
and birth registration is 100 per cent.