UNICEF and Children's Rights

Developing Country Focus

KIDPROJ UNICEF08 ---------------- From W.J.Parks@durham.ac.uk Mon Dec 20 03:18:44 1993 ====================================================================== WEEK 8: 'Developing' Country Focus. AIM: to discuss and write about some or all of the previous lessons' topics but using one 'developing' country as a comparison to your own. 'The state of the world and the state of women and children in the world is of major concern to all, especially those whose quality of life and lifestyle reflects an affluence which by its nature can only be the prerogative of a minority. The rich and the poor; the haves and the have-nots; the North and the South; the educated and the non-educated; the well-fed and the unfed; the healthy and the sick; the survivors and the non-survivors - the gap between them cannot be allowed to grow since its potential for disruption will be cataclysmic in its eventual global impact.' (Roy Williams 'Children and World Development' published by UNICEF 1987 page 2). During previous lessons we have talked about water, conflict, neglect, abuse, food, nutrition, street kids, health, education, and disabilities. In this lesson we will try to understand the broader causes of the state of the 'developing' world's children - 250,000 of whom DIE *EACH WEEK* from infection and malnutrition - and the state of the 'developed' world's children (millions of whom live in impoverished conditions). Poverty, hunger, sickness, disease, ignorance, conflict, neglect, abandonment, disasters, economic recession, bad housing and bad living conditions represent the major forces against which millions of children THROUGHOUT THE WORLD must struggle in order to survive. For forty years, UNICEF has sought to put children in the forefront of human concerns, to protect them from the terrible effects of poverty and the wastages of hunger, disease, conflict and neglect. If, as many political leaders assert, "children are our most precious resource", then we must ensure that children are listed FIRST among our priorities for investment and not LAST, as is the case in many developing *AND* developed countries. - - - - - - - - (1) THE STATE OF THE WORLD: WHAT DO YOU KNOW? For many reasons the majority of people have extremely skewed views of world development. Look at the questions below and decide what answers you would give (answers available in the next lesson plan!): 1. Is the rate of population growth in the developing world... increasing decreasing staying the same? 2. What percentage of the world's children do you think are visibly malnourished? 70% 50% 25% 2% 3. What percentage of people in rural areas have access to a safe water supply? 100% 90% 60% 40% 20% 10% 4. What percentage of the world's families are living in absolute poverty - so that they cannot meet even their most basic needs? 75% 50% 25% 2% 5. In Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, 10% of children live in poverty. In Sweden, France, and the Netherlands, less than 5% of the children are living below the poverty line. What percentage of the children in the USA do you think live below the poverty line? 20% 10% 5% 2% 1% 6. What percentage of the world's 6-12 year olds start school? 100% 90% 50% 30% 20% 7. In Syria in 1960, 39% of girls were enrolled in primary education. What percentage of girls do you think are enrolled today? 94% 73% 47% 39% 8. UNICEF set a goal of immunising 80% of the children in developing countries against preventable diseases by 1990. a. What percentage of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do you think are immunised against measles today? 79% 64% 50% 29% b. What percentage of children in South Asia do you think are immunised against measles today? 79% 64% 50% 29% c. What percentage of children in Italy do you think are immunised against measles today? 100% 95% 79% 50% 9. In the Middle East, three countires allocate 40% of their central government expenditure to defense. What percentage of central government expenditure do you think goes towards health in these countries? Between 1 and 7% Between 8 and 15% Between 16 and 21% 10. On average, what percentage of their annual budget do the governments of developing countries spend on nutrition, clean water, health care and education? 20% 15% 10% 5% 2% 1% 11. What percentage of exports of goods and services goes toward repaying foreign debt in five major South American countries? Between 1 to 11% Between 12 to 24% Between 25 and 33%? 12. In Europe, people spend the equivalent of 50 billion US dollars per year on cigarettes. What percentage of this amount do you think would be required in order to immunise children against preventable diseases, cut malnutrition in half, bring clean water and sanitation to ALL communities, make family planning services available to ALL, and give EVERY child a basic education? 100% 90% 75% 65% 50% 13. The cost that would be necessary to provide primary health care for ALL children and women - including water and sanitation, trained workers, and basic drugs - represents what percentage of current military expenditure throughout the world? 100% 77% 47% 27% 7% Send your answers to KIDPROJ under the heading *UNICEF: DEVELOPING COUNTRY FOCUS* in the form...e.g. 1. ???? 2. ???? etc. - - - - - - - - (2) FOCUS ON A 'DEVELOPING' COUNTRY. Over previous lessons we have looked in detail at some of the basic rights that children are denied in many countries, but we have also seen other examples of where these rights ARE being ensured and guarded by organizations such as UNICEF, Save the Children Fund, Oxfam, and UNESCO. You have presented your ideas and thoughts on children's rights both in your country and around the world. In the final stages of this KIDLINK/UNICEF project let us concentrate on how we can turn these ideas and thoughts into ACTION and COMMITMENT. To gain some understanding of worldwide problems and how these same problems are often those we do not recognize or appreciate actually exist in our own country, this lesson's topic encourages you to collect as much information on one particular country (of your choice) in the developing world and to reconsider what your own country is doing for children both at home and abroad. Try to find/read/watch newspaper articles, books, posters, videos, television items, products (e.g. food) on/from your chosen country. Write a short article discussing the history and geography of your chosen country (e.g. its population size, climate, major exports and imports) and outline some of the problems and difficulties the country now faces and perhaps how it has attempted to improve its situation. Try and discuss what impact these problems (whether they are NATURAL e.g. drought, earthquakes; or MAN-MADE e.g. political disruption, war, economic recession, deforestation) have on the lives of children in this country. Think what forces hinder improvements to child welfare and what forces would help improve the plight of children. - - - - - - - - (3) CHILDREN SUFFER IN *EVERY* COUNTRY. You now know that on 20th November 1989 the United Nations formally adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. On the 30th September, 1990, the World Summit for Children urged all countries to ratify the 1989 Convention. As of 31st August 1993, 146 nations had ratified it; the United States HAS YET TO DO SO (Sylvia Hewlett 'Child Neglect in Rich Nations' published by UNICEF 1993, page 1). You have seen that in your local areas children can often be neglected, made homeless, forced to have to work, abused, battered, ignored in the planning and management of activities and facilities, and disregarded in the future of the community. These same issues are reflected on a global scale. When we consider the plight of children throughout the world, are the leading industrialized nations of the world such as the USA and the UK who subject 10-20% of their children to a childhood of poverty truly 'developed' when compared with less-industrialized nations? Shrinking wages; longer working hours; decreased parent/child contact time; increased job stress and strain; higher divorce rates; shortfalls in government funding for housing, health and education; higher divorce rates; and lower esteem for motherhood have all been recent trends that affect the quality of life for children in some so-called 'developed' countries. The last decade of the 20th century has been dedicated to the welfare and future of children. As James Grant, Executive Director of UNICEF states: 'Contrary to widely held opinion...[we] have already travelled three quarters of the way towards a world in which every man, woman, and child has adequate food, clean water, basic health care, and at least a primary education. And there is no technological barrier to prevent the completion of that journey in our times... [But] for almost half a century, the world has been distracted from these great tasks by military conflict and ideological division. War, and the threat of war, have diverted our physical and financial resources, our science and technology, our ingenuity and imagination, and our human capacity and concern. That threat is receding. The time has therefore come for the world to recommit itself to the task of ending the age-old evils of absolute poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy, and preventable disease and to build again towards a new world order which will reflect mankind's brightest hopes rather than its darkest fears' (James Grant 'The State of the World's Children' published by UNICEF, 1992, page 3). But the VOICES and OPINIONS of children are not being heard, and their efforts are not being recognized. One hope is that through KIDLINK you can express your views and share your ideas with other children and adults throughout the world. If you were in a position to make changes, what would you do to give children a greater say in decisions and planning both in the local community and at a global level? How would you use KIDLINK to get your voices heard by world leaders? 'Children are 100 per cent of the future; if they are neglected, stagnation and decline are inevitable' (Sylvia Helwett 1993 page 55).