We Are Failing the Children of the World

Every 24 seconds 100 babies are born around the world. That is 100 infants whose futures are in our hands.

Fortunately, we know exactly how to ensure that they grow up healthy, educated and able to reach their full potential as adults. Sadly, we also know that we are failing these children. Far too many of them die from preventable diseases, never enter a classroom, are terrorized by violence and conflict and are forced to work, often in abusive conditions.

To better understand the overall condition of the world’s 2.1billion children, let us take a closer look at the 100 children born in about the time it took to read the previous sentences. Some of the following figures will shock, others will surprise. But many of them, sadly, will be all too recognizable.

The geographic dispersion of these 100 children is heavily skewed. More than half are Asian, with almost 20 of them born in one country: India. Only eight of them were born in the industrialized world. Most will live longer than ever before, an average of 64 years. In the industrialized world, that age rises to 78 years, while in the parts of Africa most heavily affected by HIV/AIDS, it plunges to less than 40 years.

Disease and ill health will plague a huge proportion of these 100. Almost 27 will not be immunized against preventable childhood illnesses, such as measles. And almost 20 won’t have access to clean drinking water. By age 5, 32 will have suffered from malnutrition. Of the 100, 18 of them will not ever go to school, and 20 more will not reach the fifth grade.

Of course, lack of schooling is the handmaiden of child labor. Once they are old enough--which can mean as young as 5--nearly 25 of the 100 will be working. Of those who do become laborers, there’s a 50% chance that they will work full-time. Of those born in Africa, almost 40% will work between the ages of 5 and 14.

Many of these dispiriting figures come from the 2001 U.N. report “We the Children,” which documents and analyzes the most comprehensive statistics ever gathered on the status of children. It was born out of the 1990 U.N. World Summit for Children, during which world leaders gathered for the first time to commit to concrete actions on behalf of children. This week, 60 heads of state or government and 170 national delegations will gather at the summit’s follow-up, the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children.

The message of this meeting is simple and clear: Healthy and educated children are a critical force to drive economic development. If we want to overcome poverty, first and foremost we must invest in children. Yet many governments simply don’t give children the resources they deserve--and that goes both for developing countries and the donor nations that provide funds.

It may be hard to fathom 2.1billion children, let alone the desperate situations that ensnare so many of them. Instead, think of those 100 children. In the world we envision, they would be vibrant and growing, physically and mentally, in what we call “a world fit for children.”

Supporting the conference’s efforts can help today’s children and tomorrow’s generations, who in turn will help us build a more prosperous and stable world. Let’s not waste this opportunity.