Chioma Umeha
It was Nelson Mandela, former President of South
Africa who quipped, “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than
the way in which it treats its children.”
Perhaps, the situation of the children in
Sub-sahara Africa typifies this. Nearly half of all children in sub-Saharan
Africa are living in extreme poverty, according to joint UNICEF-World Bank
report released in 2016.
The figures showed that almost 385 million
children worldwide survive on less than $1.90 (£1.50) a day, the World Bank
international poverty line.
The report while displaying gory picture of the
impact of extreme poverty, stated that it leads to stunted development, limited
future productivity as adults, and intergenerational transmission of poverty.
The figures based on the data which represents 84
per cent of the developing world’s population also indicated that much work
will be needed to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of eradicating
extreme poverty by 2030.
Children are disproportionately affected by
extreme poverty as they make up just a third of the population studied, but
comprise half of the extreme poor.
They are twice as likely as adults to be living on
less than $1.90 a day, the report claimed, with 19.5 per cent of children in
developing countries living in extremely poor households, compared to just 9.2
per cent of adults.
Justin Forsyth, the UNICEF’s Deputy Executive
Director, reacting to the report had noted, “It’s almost a double blow.
“Firstly, that children are twice as likely as an
adult to live in extreme poverty, but also that children are much less likely
than an adult to be able to cope with extreme poverty because of stunting,
infant mortality, and early childhood development,” Forsyth added.
Barely two years after this report, the condition
of Nigerian children is despicably growing worse, a United Nations
International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) reports revealed on Monday.
With more than four million unimmunised children
and poor access to clean water and sanitation which put children’s health at
risk, the country has one of the world’s highest rate of maternal, child and
infant mortality, the UNICEF reported.
Consequently, the United Nation’s agency has
called on global leaders to make commitment to intensify efforts in fulfilling
children’s rights, as the world marked International Children’s Day.
This is just as the agency announced a global
request for individuals to sign a worldwide online petition for ‘children to be
put back on the agenda.’
Reflecting, Mohamed Fall, UNICEF Nigeria
Representative, said there is need for the safety and future of children to be
guaranteed.
Fall’s views were contained in a two separate
statements made available to DAILY INDEPENDENT signed by Geoffrey Njoku, UNICEF
Communication Specialist and Blessing Ejiofor, Communication Officer
respectively.
“A lot has been achieved, but there is still much
to be done to ensure that Nigerian children benefit from advances in child
rights. At the moment, too many children are being left behind, and we need to
reach them,” the UNICEF Nigeria Representative said.
He added; “We want to build a world where every
child is in school, safe from harm and can fulfill their potential and nowhere
is this truer than in Nigeria.”
Fall stressed that Nigeria’s stunted growth among
children is the second highest in the world, with 16.5 million affected and
acute malnutrition is high, with an estimated 2.6 million children severely
acutely malnourished.
According to him, “Nigeria has the world’s highest
number of out-of-school children, and one of its highest rates of maternal,
child and infant mortality.
He added, “Diseases like pneumonia, diarrhoea, and
malaria, combined with underlying malnutrition, are responsible for most of the
deaths among infants and children in Nigeria.
“In partnership with the Nigerian Government, we
are determined to ensure that stronger investment will yield progress for all
children in education, health, including ensuring routine immunisation for all,
nutrition and child protection.”
UNICEF Nigeria Representative said, “Nigerian
children experience a wide range of abuses and harmful practices. An estimated
three in five children have suffered one or more forms of violence before
reaching 18, with over 70 per cent experiencing multiple incidents of
violence.”
This World Children’s Day, we must recommit to
children, knowing that for Nigeria to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals
by 2030, we must invest in long-lasting institutional and community -based
systems and policies for children’s survival, growth and development,” said
Fall.
“Nigerian children have a huge role to play in the
country’s national development. It is the generation of children growing up
today who will take their place as Nigeria’s leaders tomorrow, and who will be
able to take further, to really accelerate,
the progress we make now.”
UNICEF Lights Abuja City Gate Blue For Children
Meanwhile, UNICEF has lighted one of Nigeria’s
most iconic landmarks blue to celebrate World Children’s Day, Tuesday, as a
symbol of the need to re-commit to children’s rights and well-being.
The event marked the importance of drawing
leaders’ attention to children’s rights in Nigeria and around the world.
A statement on Monday made available to DAILY
INDEPENDENT which was jointly signed by Geoffrey Njoku, UNICEF Communications
Specialist and Eliana Drakopoulos, UNICEF Chief of Communications said the
Abuja’s City Gate will joined the Empire State Building in New York, Sydney
Opera House in Australia, Petra in Jordan, the Beijing National Aquatics Center
and Water Cube in China, and Eden Park in New Zealand – all
national landmarks that were lit blue for children.
The lighting came with a global request for
individuals to sign a global online petition asking for ‘children to be put
back on the agenda.’
