‘Child mortality interventions saved 90m children in 24 years’

“In large measure, this is because of progress in delivering immunizations, health, and water and sanitation services,” said the report. “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,” the report […]

“In large measure, this is because of progress in delivering immunizations, health, and water and sanitation services,” said the report.
“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,” the report said, adding that improvements in nutrition have led to a 37 percent drop in stunting since 1990.
The all-encompassing State of the World’s Children 2014 report said 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,”.
However, the report, entitled, “Every Child Counts: Revealing Disparities, Advancing Children’s Rights,” expressed dissatisfaction over persisting realities that hurt the welfare of children.
“Some 6.6 million children under 5 years of age died in 2012, mostly from preventable causes. 15 percent 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. 11 per cent of girls are married before they turn 15, jeopardizing their rights to health, education and protection,” it said.
The report shows that in Nigeria, only 47% of people who live in rural areas have access to improved drinking water against 75% of people in the urban areas. “The disparity continues even in HIV prevalence,” it stressed, explaining, “Prevalence among young girls is 1.3% while only 0.7% among boys.”
It adds that access to education in Nigeria shows some disparity too in favour of boys. “Net enrolment rate for boys into primary school is 60% while for girls it is 55% while net attendance is 72% of boys and 68% for girls,” the report stated.