(Newswire.net — November 22, 2016) —Despite the enormous progress realized for children since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, the rights of millions of children are being violated every day, UNICEF said as it marked Universal Children’s Day on November 20th.
Almost 50 million children have been displaced from their homes, 28 million of them due to conflict. An additional 250 million children live in countries affected by conflict, and nearly 385 million children live in extreme poverty, reveals some of the data released by UNICEF.
While conflicts, crises and enormous poverty lead the lives and future of millions of children at risk, it is now more urgent than ever to protect the rights of children – and this is the key to building a stronger and more stable society, say UNICEF leaders.
The statement said that despite the pronounced progress for children globally over the past decade, nearly six million children die each year from causes that could be prevented. Children from poor households have two times more of a chance of dying before their fifth birthday compared to children from wealthier families.
Children who are trapped in areas that are under siege in Syria, Iraq and northern Nigeria, are more likely to have their rights violated as a result of their schools, hospitals and homes being attacked.
More than a quarter of a billion children of school age do not receive an education.
Almost 300 million children live in areas with the highest levels of toxic air pollution – six or more times higher than international standards, the statement said.
In December UNICEF will mark 70 years of working to bring life-saving aid, long-term support and hope to children whose lives and futures are endangered by conflict, crises, poverty, inequality and discrimination.