THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2003
For every child Health, Education, Equality, Protection ADVANCE HUMANITY UNICEF/02-0075/Susan Markisz THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2003 Thank you
This report has been prepared with the help of many people and organizations, including the following UNICEF field offices and national committees: Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Argentina, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burundi, Cameroon, Caribbean Area Office, Central African Republic, Central Asian Republics and Kazakhstan, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Ukraine, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Input was also received from UNICEF regional offices, Innocenti Research Centre and the UNICEF Office for Japan.
The photos taken by children are from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (German Agency for Technical Cooperation) (GTZ) (www.imagine.gtz.de), ‘Through the Eyes of Children’/The Rwanda Project, Save the Children UK, Fundação Casa Grande, Kemetic Institute, and PhotoVoice (www.photovoice.org). The artwork is from ‘Amazed World’, an exhibit by artist Ik-Joong Kang, and UNICEF offices in Oman and Timor-Leste.
© The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2002 The Library of Congress has catalogued this serial publication as follows: Permission to reproduce any part of this The state of the world’s children 2003 publication is required. Please contact the Editorial and Publications Section, Division of UNICEF, UNICEF House, 3 UN Plaza, Communication, UNICEF NY (3 UN Plaza, NY, NY New York, NY 10017, USA 10017 USA, Tel: 212-326-7513, Fax: 212-303-7985, E-mail: nyhqdoc.permit@unicef.org). Permission E-mail: [email protected] will be freely granted to educational or non-profit Website: www.unicef.org organizations. Others will be requested to pay a small fee. UNICEF, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland ISBN 92-806-3784-5 Cover photo: Umuhoza, age 12 ‘Through the Eyes of Children’/The Rwanda Project THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2003
Carol Bellamy Executive Director United Nations Children’s Fund
With photos and artwork by children CONTENTS
With a foreword by Kofi A. Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations
Chapters 1 2 3 4
CHILDREN MUST WHY ENGAGING ACTIVE BE HEARD PARTICIPATION, LIFE LEARNING WHY NOW? Page 1 Page 9 Page 19 Page 27
Panels 1. What children see, they show ...... 6 2. Child participation: Myth and reality ...... 16 3. A child’s ‘right’ to participate ...... 24 4. Girls win big! ...... 32 5. Building nations...... 40 6. We asked them to speak...... 50 7. Children and the media ...... 58 8. We are the world’s children ...... 66
Text 1. Children’s participation ...... 3 figures 2. The world is becoming more democratic ...... 10 3. Decline in voter turnout in G7 countries ...... 12
References ...... 70
iv CONTENTS 5 6 7 8 9
THE SHARPEST LISTENING TO SPACES FOR AT THE UN MOVING EDGE CHILDREN PARTICIPATION SPECIAL SESSION FORWARD ON CHILDREN Page 35 Page 43 Page 53 Page 61 Page 69
Maps ...... 73 1 What the children think ...... 74 2 What the children want: Health, education, healthy environment ...... 76 3 What the children want: Protection ...... 78 General notes ...... 80
Tables ...... 81 1 Basic indicators...... 84 2 Nutrition...... 88 3 Health...... 92 4 Education...... 96 5 Demographic indicators ...... 100 6 Economic indicators ...... 104 7 Women ...... 108 8 HIV/AIDS and malaria ...... 112 9 The rate of progress ...... 116
Index ...... 120
Glossary ...... 123
THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2003 v “They brought us their ideas, hopes and dreams.”
Kofi A. Annan FOREWORD
The focus of this year’s The State of the World’s Children – child participation – is intended to remind adults of their obligation to elicit and consider the views of children and young people when decisions are being made that affect their lives.
The report’s theme is true to the spirit of the historic General Assembly Special Session on Children, held in May 2002. For the first time, the General Assembly met to discuss exclusively children’s issues; and for the first time, large numbers of children were included as official members of delegations, representing governments and non-governmental organizations.
The children’s presence transformed the atmosphere of the United Nations. Into our usually measured and diplomatic discussions, they introduced their passions, questions, fears, challenges, enthusiasm and optimism. They brought us their ideas, hopes and dreams. They gave life to the values of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. And they contributed something only they could know: the experience of being young in the 21st century – in a time when HIV/AIDS continues to grow at a devastating rate; in a time when unprecedented wealth coexists with extreme poverty; in a time when the rights of children, while almost universally recognized, are abused systematically and daily throughout the world.
In the outcome document of the Special Session, Governments declared their commitment to changing the world for and with children – to build a world fit for children in the 21st century. We will achieve this only if Governments fulfil their promise that the voices of children and young people will be heard loud and clear; if we ensure the full participation of children in the work to build a better future.
Kofi A. Annan Secretary-General of the United Nations
THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2003
1 CHILDREN MUST BE HEARD
“Adults miss the point. When is a child considered skilful enough to contribute and participate actively? If you do not give them the opportunity to participate, they will not acquire the skills. Give us the chance early and see how we fly.” 17-year-old Khairul Azri, a Malaysian delegate to the UN Special Session on Children
When 10-year-old Mingyu Liao from China “We are not asking too much! You said this addressed the World Summit on Sustainable Summit is about taking action! We need more Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, than your applause and comments of ‘well in September 2002, she was one of three done’ or ‘good speech’. We need ACTION.” representatives from the International Children’s Conference of the United Nations The young activists were not to be denied. Environment Programme that had drawn more With their vision for the future, and their passion, than 400 children from over 80 countries three they inspired delegates as others had done at months earlier. “We all had plenty to say,” the the UN Special Session on Children in May young girl reported, “but the number one thing 2002. “Think about the children,” they pleaded. that all delegates were concerned about is that “What kind of world do you want for them?” most leaders don’t listen.” In the end, the children accomplished some- Mingyu Liao shared the podium with four other thing that had not been possible through the children, Justin Friesen from Canada, Analiz usual process of adult negotiations around the Vergara from Ecuador and Julius Ndlovena and Summit’s final declaration. World leaders Tiyiselani Manganyi both from the host country, acknowledged that they had a responsibility South Africa, as they delivered their challenge. not only to each other but to children – as
“In immense space, what is in the eyes of these two little boys? How can we understand what they want to express? Maybe it is their aspiration about having a better future.” Nguyen Chau Thuy Trang
© Nguyen Chau Thuy Trang/Viet Nam/Street Vision/PhotoVoice
THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2003 1 they pledged to free the world from poverty, elected them, and that assuming an elected environmental degradation and patterns of position requires commitment and fulfilment unsustainable development.1 of promises and responsibilities.2
In rural villages in southern India, the NGO These are but two of many examples from Myrada organized community children’s groups different contexts and different cultures that around two issues of social justice: bonded demonstrate that changes can be effected that labour, where children are forced into work may not be accomplished otherwise when and to endure frequently harmful working children and young people are provided with conditions for long periods in order to pay off the opportunity to contribute. their parent’s debts, and child marriages, where girls as young as 11 years old are forced into Competencies for life marriage and marital roles harmful to their best interests. Each generation is faced with new challenges – listening for and to the views of children is one of Several children’s clubs in different communities ours. This year, The State of the World’s Children worked together in respectful dialogue with focuses on the responsibility of adults to seek parents, other adults in the community and out the perspectives and opinions of children local authorities with two objectives: to and to take them seriously; and on the respon- convince some local landowners and factory sibility of adults to help children and adoles- owners to free children from servitude, and cents develop their competencies for authentic to convince some parents of girls due to be and meaningful participation in the world. wedded to rescind their decision to marry off their young daughters. They succeeded at both. In order to do this, adults must develop new competencies of their own. We must learn how In addition, the Myrada project created a to effectively elicit the views of children and ‘community of support’ around educational young people and to recognize their multiple issues, with community leaders and local voices, the various ways children and young authorities, parents and elders, young people people express themselves, and how to inter- and children working together to monitor pret their messages – both verbal and non- student absenteeism and drop-outs by verbal. What’s more, we must ensure that there approaching children and the parents is opportunity, time and a safe place for the of children who are not in school. opinions of children and young people to be heard and given due weight. And we must Within school parliaments, children took on develop our own capabilities to respond tasks in and around school and the community. appropriately to the messages and opinions They elected an ‘opposition party’ whose of children and young people. responsibility was to monitor the plans, commitments, promises and actions of those UNICEF’s goals with this report are to: students already in office. Through the practice of leadership, children learned that they are Draw public attention to the importance, accountable and responsible to those who reason, value and feasibility of young
2 CHILDREN MUST BE HEARD FIGURE 1 CHILDREN’S PARTICIPATION As children grow and develop, their opportunities for participation expand from private to public spaces, from local to global influence.
Society
Public policy decisions Media
Forums School Elections Rights School Teaching councils councils Community plans Neighbourhood associations Student associations Institutional programmes Informal Cultural groups Family groups (Family Child participation competencies)
Adapted from R. Nimi’s powerpoint presentation at UNICEF’s Global Lifeskills Workshop in Salvador (Bahia), Brazil, June 2002.
people’s active participation in family, Fit for Children’ and the Millennium Develop- school, community and national life; ment Goals (MDGs). As the work on the MDGs moves ahead, improving the lives of Encourage States, civil society organizations children and young people will necessarily and the private sector to promote children’s be at the heart of every effort; the participa- authentic involvement in decisions that affect tion of children and young people will be at their lives; the centre of every success.