The U.N. Children's Fund says children with
disabilities are among the most marginalized people in the world. In
its annual State of the World's Children report, UNICEF says ending
discrimination against children with disabilities and nurturing their
abilities will benefit both the children and society as a whole.
The report presents a grim assessment of the discrimination and stigma
suffered by tens of millions of children with disabilities in all
regions of the world. There is very little data on these children, so
the magnitude of the problem is unknown.
However, according to one widely-used estimate, some 93 million
children, or one in 20 aged 14 years or younger, live with a moderate or
severe disability of some kind. While children with disabilities are
worse off in poor countries, UNICEF says they suffer discrimination,
stigmatization and marginalization in poor and rich countries alike.
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UNICEF Inclusive Education Consultant Paula Hunt tells VOA disabled
people tend to be invisible in society. She says many disabled children
are not registered at birth, which cuts them off from social services
and legal protections crucial to their survival and prospects.
"You have countries in which having a disabled child is considered bad
luck, not only for the child, but for the entire family. Children with
disabilities are more likely to not attend school because it is seen as
they are unable to learn. Children with disabilities often do not have
friends ... And, so, children with disabilities often miss out on every
aspect of social life," Hunt said.
The UNICEF report says children with disabilities are the most
vulnerable to violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect, particularly if
they are hidden or put in institutions. The report notes 17 studies
from high-income countries found children with disabilities are three to
four times more likely to be victims of violence.
The report argues society stands to gain from including rather than
excluding children -- from concentrating on their abilities, rather than
on their disabilities. For example, it says making education more
inclusive broadens the horizons of all children and provides
opportunities denied children with disabilities.
Hunt considers disabled children no less able than other children. "For
me, the biggest gain of having a society that is inclusive of children
with disabilities is that you get used to children with disabilities.
And so, that entire misunderstanding, the fear of things that you do not
know becomes smaller and smaller," Hunt said.
The report urges governments to ratify and implement the Convention on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Convention on the Rights
of the Child. It calls on governments to support families so they can
meet the higher costs of caring for children with disabilities. It calls
for measures to fight discrimination.
The State of the World's Children report uses the under-5 mortality rate
as the principle indicator of progress in child well-being. The report
shows that in 1970, around 16.9 million children under 5 were dying
every year, while in 2011, 6.9 million were dying, nearly half of them
in sub-Saharan Africa.
Source : VOA NEWS , 29th May 2013
Source : VOA NEWS , 29th May 2013
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