UNICEF:Need to Innovate to Advance Children’s Rights

31 01 2014

UNICEF’s Latest Data Reveal Disparities, Show Need to Innovate to Advance Children’s Rights

As 25^th anniversary of children’s rights convention approaches, vast progress made but reaching unreached children will require sharper focus on disparities, new report says

#data4children

NEW YORK, 30 January 2014 – Declaring that ‘every child counts’, UNICEF today urged greater effort and innovation to identify and address the gaps that prevent the most disadvantaged of the world’s 2.2 billion children from enjoying their rights.
The children’s agency, in a report released today, highlights the importance of data in making progress for children and exposing the unequal access to services and protections that mars the lives of so many.
“Data have made it possible to save and improve the lives of millions of children, especially the most deprived,” said Tessa Wardlaw, Chief of UNICEF’s Data and Analytics Section. “Further progress can only be made if we know which children are the most neglected, where girls and boys are out of school, where disease is rampant or where basic sanitation is lacking.”
Tremendous progress has been made since the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was signed in 1989 and in the run up to the culmination of the Millennium Development Goals in 2015. UNICEF’s flagship report, The State of the World’s Children 2014 in Numbers shows that:
- Some 90 million children who would have died before reaching the age of 5 if child mortality rates had stuck at their 1990 level have, instead, lived. In large measure, this is because of progress in delivering immunizations, health, and water and sanitation services.
- Improvements in nutrition have led to a 37 per cent drop in stunting since 1990.
- Primary school enrolment has increased, even in the least developed countries: Whereas in 1990 only 53 in 100 children in those countries gained school admission, by 2011 the number had improved to 81 in 100. (new)
Even so, the statistics in the report, titled “Every Child Counts: Revealing disparities, advancing children’s rights,” also bear witness to ongoing violations of children’s rights:
- Some 6.6 million children under 5 years of age died in 2012, mostly from preventable causes, in violation of their fundamental right to survive and develop.
- Fifteen per cent of the world’s children are put to work that compromises their right to protection from economic exploitation and infringes on their right to learn and play.
- Eleven per cent of girls are married before they turn 15, jeopardizing their rights to health, education and protection. (it has not been written about)
Data also reveal gaps and inequities, showing the gains of development are unevenly distributed:
- The world’s poorest children are nearly three (2.7) times less likely than the richest ones to have a skilled attendant at their birth, leaving them and their mothers at increased risk of birth-related complications.
- In The Niger, all urban households but only 39 per cent of rural households have access to safe drinking water.
- In Chad, for every 100 boys who enter secondary school, only 44 girls do – leaving them without an education and without protections and services that schools can provide.
The report notes that “being counted makes children visible, and this act of recognition makes it possible to address their needs and advance their rights.” It adds that innovations in data collection, analysis and dissemination are making it possible to disaggregate data by such factors as location, wealth, sex, and ethnic or disability status, to include children who have been excluded or overlooked by broad averages.
The report urges increased investment in innovations that right the wrong of exclusion.
“Overcoming exclusion begins with inclusive data. To improve the reach, availability and reliability of data on the deprivations with which children and their families contend, the tools of collection and analysis are constantly being modified – and new ones are being developed. This will require sustained investment and commitment,” the report says.
Much of what is known about the situations of children comes from household surveys, and in particular the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). Designed and supported by UNICEF, MICS are conducted by national statistical authorities and provide disaggregated data on a range of topics affecting children’s survival, development, rights and experience of life. To date, MICS surveys have been conducted in more than 100 countries. In the last round of MICS, interviews were completed in more than 650,000 households in 50 countries.
Thirty years have passed since The State of the World’s Children began to publish tables of standardized global and national statistics aimed at providing a detailed picture of children’s circumstances. With the release of an edition of the report dedicated to data, UNICEF is inviting decision-makers and the general public to access and use its statistics – at www.data.unicef.org – to drive positive change for children.
“Data do not, of themselves, change the world. They make change possible – by identifying needs, supporting advocacy, and gauging progress. What matters most is that decision-makers use the data to make positive change, and that the data are available for children and communities to use in holding duty-bearers to account,” the report said.
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Broadcasters: A video news story is available at http://weshare.unicef.org/mediaresources

 

To read The State of the World’s Children 2014 In Numbers: Every Child Counts – Revealing disparities, advancing children’s rights and to see additional multimedia material, please visit: http://www.unicef.org/sowc2014/numbers
For information on MICS, please visit http://www.childinfo.org/mics.html
About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org

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Arvind Kejriwal in press conference self praises for his government

31 01 2014

 

Arvind Kejriwal in press conference praises his government.
AAP Party in Delhi a party of unemployed youths lower class whose hopes have nosedived but find easy way to be associated with. Party has failed even to pay to their volunteers even meagre amount to sustain further has not been able to provide food or proper working structure for the party. Arvind the only voice projected with funds and some incongruous statements which remains still unanswered is the quick fix of the party.  

 A political party indulging in self praise has failed to bring neutral observes as Lokpal on the working of AAP as they had promised before coming to power,their appointment of lokpal which is being ensigaed by various e channels is not very much different from the federal structure.Thus AAP is getting disconnected from Delhi people  every day and their loud mouth spokesperson further dilute their popularity.people hopes have been dashed to ground and has become a laughing stock of political class of new tugs as roadside herb sellers and make fast buck. AAP has failed in its transparency front when it failed to give any substantive or any answer to High Court.Their idealistic talks in public domain about common man proves to be an hoax unless it is seen at the ground levels.. 
Many political experts allege that their whole intention is to gather money, mint money  on causes with need total overhaul and is beyond AAP.

 

Arvind Kejriwal in his press conference said,

Dear Friends, Your government in Delhi has completed one month in office. It has been wonderful yet challenging opportunity to serve the people of Delhi. I want to share some of the highlights of our work with you and seek your honest feedback. One thing I will say for sure – all ministers and MLAs of AAP did our task sincerely and honestly, putting the people above everything else. I look forward to your continued support.

In their release to media person they further added, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) strongly condemns the nefarious attempts by a Congress MLA to disrupt the press conference of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday.

MLA Asif Mohammad Khan inappropriately barged into a press briefing at the Delhi Secretariat and indulged in highly objectionable behavior, which is totally unbecoming of an elected representative.

He raised the issue of Batla House encounter and the AAP would like to set the record straight. This encounter had taken place on 19 September 2008, when there were Congress governments in Delhi as well as at the Centre.

The AAP had not come into existence till then, but it was noted lawyer and human rights activist, Prashant Bhushan (now a national executive member of the AAP) who had filed a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking an independent investigation into this encounter.

The High Court asked the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to look into the matter. The NHRC accepted the probe report of the Delhi Police Crime Branch. This was again challenged by Mr Bhushan in the Supreme Court.

A three judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by the then Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan dismissed the petition seeking an independent/judicial inquiry into the encounter.

The Supreme Court ruled that no further probes were required in this matter.

Mr Asif has tried to spread a lot of falsehoods today. It is important to rebut these false allegations. Without reading the AAP manifesto, he has given statements that it promises a probe into this encounter. THERE IS NO SUCH MENTION IN THE AAP MANIFESTO.    

Mr Asif needs to answer the question as to why he joined the Congress Party in August 2013 after having won the 2008 assembly election on the RJD ticket, despite the fact that Congress governments of Delhi and even the centre had termed the encounter as genuine in the High Court and the Supreme Court.

It is really beyond reasonable understanding that he chose to contest on the ticket of a party which supported the encounter and opposed any attempt to get it probed and is seeking answers from a government which believes in justice for all and discrimination against none.

Before questioniong others, Mr Asif should spell out the stand of the party to which he belongs, on this issue.

 

 The AAP makes it clear that it stands committed for justice to all sections of the society and is firmly against implication of innocents in false cases, irrespective of their religion, region or caste.