In America, worse than in Belarus: WHO and UNICEF named the best countries for raising children
'23.02.2020'
Source: Gazeta.ru
WHO and UNICEF have prepared a report on the quality of life of children in countries around the world. The document was published in The Lancet magazine, writes "Gazeta.ru".
Over the past decades, the survival rate of children has increased, they began to eat better, more often to get an education. However, social inequality, population migration, and environmental changes today threaten the health and future of children around the world, the researchers note.
Specially for the report, the term “prosperity index” was developed. In order to understand whether children in different countries of the world really “prosper” or simply survive, the researchers analyzed a number of parameters. They drew attention to reproductive freedom, the survival of mothers and children, access to basic health care, education and nutrition, the number of beggars and protection from violence.
In the list of 180 countries, Norway, South Korea and the Netherlands took the first lines. They were followed by France, Ireland, Denmark. Worst of all things are in the CARs, Chad and Somalia. The lower positions of the rating, in general, were represented by African countries.
Russia in this list took only 79th place, being between the state of Palestine and Romania, losing to Azerbaijan, Libya, Afghanistan and even Uruguay. Belarus escaped to 35th place, while Ukraine turned out to be 91. The USA got 39th place.
Researchers also drew attention to CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, estimating their amount by 2030. Qatar received the first place in terms of emissions by a wide margin; this problem is also expressed in the state of Trindad and Tobago, Kuwait, and the UAE. Burundi, Chad and Somalia turned out to be the most “environmentally friendly” in this regard. Both Russia and the United States were among the countries with the highest emissions. In general, the more economically developed the country was and the better conditions for it were created for children, the more harm it did to the atmosphere.
In addition, researchers are concerned that children often become the target audience for advertising harmful products - fast food, sugary drinks. Also, in many countries they regularly encounter advertising of alcohol and cigarettes, which contributes to an increase in the consumption of these products among young people. All this leads to health problems, from obesity to tobacco dependence. According to the authors of the report, half of children 5-6 years old in Russia are able to recognize at least one logo of the tobacco brand, and this is one of the lowest results - in China the number of such children reaches 86%.
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The verdict of Dr. Stefan Peterson, head of the UNICEF Health Department, was disappointing.
“No country is suitable for the well-being of children today or in the future,” he said. - I was hoping that at least some countries would create the right conditions for today's children and those who will appear in the future. But I saw that not one of them could cope with this, and it surprised me. ”
Investments in the health, education and development of children have obvious advantages for the future development of society. However, governments of many countries still do not consider these areas a priority and do not consider them as the basis for future social improvements, the authors emphasize. Even in rich countries, there are enough children who are starving or living in poverty. The potential of children with developmental disabilities is ignored, which limits their contribution to the development of society. Often, children cannot even get basic educational services or medical care.
“Just as good maternal health and nutrition in the perinatal period lay the foundation for the future health of the child, so the learning and communication skills that we acquire in our youth provide the foundation for further development and support a strong national policy and economy,” the authors write.
They emphasize that investing in the future of children should not be limited to health and education. Housing, transport, energy - many areas are associated with the well-being of future generations.
Affordable housing, safe food, clean energy, fair social security policies are just as important as access to education and medicine.
“We can no longer consider the health of children and their well-being as the sphere of competence of health workers. Immunization, antibiotics, antenatal care and delivery, quality health care are certainly necessary, but we also need to pay attention to other areas, such as early childhood development, adolescent health, and disability issues. We must respond to environmental and other threats that may affect the future of children on this planet. we need a holistic approach to the child as a person under 18 years old, whose future is in the center of attention of mankind, ”the report says.
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“The report shows that those who make decisions in this world often fail to cope with the problems of children and youth - they cannot protect their health, they cannot protect their rights, they cannot protect their planet,” says WHO Director General Tedros Adan Gebreisus. “It should be an alarm, encourage countries to invest in the health and development of children, ensure that their voices are heard, and build a suitable future for them.”
The authors of the report suggest a number of measures that will improve the prospects of children. They call for reducing CO2 emissions, tightening marketing policies for fast food, alcohol, and other unhealthy products, improving policies for protecting children's rights, their health, access to food, and allowing children themselves to some extent participate in political decisions.
