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Millions of youths face violence, poverty—report

 

The latest United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) study has revealed that many children today still live in abject poverty and drop out of school compared to their counterparts living within the same communities two decades ago.

The study has also established an increase in the international share of people living on less than $1.90 a day (about K1 300) and a decline in primary school enrolment.

Wedening: Children face increasing challenges

Unicef released the report yesterday as it commemorated this year’s World Children’s Day, which officially marked the 27th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

Among others, the CRC emphasises on the need to view children as human beings with a distinct set of rights instead of presenting them as passive objects of care and charity.

“While most of the world’s children  in the last generation have seen unprecedented gains in living standards, one in 12 children worldwide still live in countries where their prospects [remain] worse than those of their parents,” reads the report in part signed by Unicef’s  resident representative to Malawi Johannes Wedenig.

A study’s sample of children aged nine to 18 years in 14 countries also established that the youngsters are now deeply concerned about global issues affecting them and their peers.

The agency then bemoans a “sense of injustice” towards children across the globe which it argues makes most children see their living standards decline and feel that their future is uncertain.

“The situation of children in Malawi over the years has improved significantly but there are many children who are being left behind,” adds Wedenig.

World Children’s Day presents an opportunity for countries, including Malawi, to reassess the situation of the most vulnerable children and recommit efforts to addressing their needs.

 

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