Amandla

 

Child Survival

Emergency Response

Protection of orphans and other vulnerable children

Early Childhood Development

Child Friendly Schools

Sport for development

Young people's development

Social transformation and strategic leveraging

Children and media

Adolescence: an age of opportunity.

 

 

 Download report and components

The State of the World’s Children 2011: Adolescence – An Age of Opportunity examines the global state of adolescents; outlines the challenges they face in health, education, protection and participation; and explores the risks and vulnerabilities of this pivotal stage. The report highlights the singular opportunities that adolescence offers, both for adolescents themselves and for the societies they live in.

Full Report [PDF]

The latest report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflicts is now available (A/65/820–S/2011/250). The report covers the period from January to December 2010 and among others, it

provides information on grave violations committed against children, in particular the recruitment and use of children, the killing and maiming of children, rape and other sexual violence against children, the abduction of children, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access to children by parties to armed conflict in contravention of applicable international law

The State of the World’s Children 2011: Adolescence – An Age of Opportunity examines the global state of adolescents; outlines the challenges they face in health, education, protection and participation; and explores the risks and vulnerabilities of this pivotal stage. The report highlights the singular opportunities that adolescence offers, both for adolescents themselves and for the societies they live in. The accumulated evidence demonstrates that investing in adolescents' second decade is our best hope of breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty and inequity and of laying the foundation for a more peaceful, tolerant and equitable world.

 

The State of the World’s Children 2011: Executive Summary

View the multimedia report

[Download a PDF copy]

The South African Child Gauge is the only publication in the country that provides an annual snap-shot of the status of South Africa’s children.

It is published by the Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town, to track South Africa’s progress towards realising children’s rights.

The latest issue focuses on the theme 'Healthy children: From survival to optimal development'.

Click on the links below to download a PDF version

Executive summary
Full report (3.4MB)
Poster-map (719kB)

Cover
Back cover
Acknowledgements and contact details
Broad overview
Contents
List of tables, diagrams and cases

Foreword
Marian Jacobs, Dean: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town

Reflections on child heatlh
Michey Chopra, Chief of Health: United Nations Children’s Fund, New York

 

 PART ONE: CHILDREN AND LAW REFORM

Key legislative developments in 2009/2010: Children's health rights
Lucy Jamieson, Prinslean Mahery and Daksha Kassan

 

PART TWO: MEANINGFUL ACCESS TO BASIC EDUCATION

Overview of part two 

Children’s rights to health
Paula Proudlock and Prinslean Mahery

The status of child health in South Africa
David Sanders, Debbie Bradshaw and Ngashi Ngongo

HIV, TB and child health
Brian Eley

An integrated approach to malnutrition in childhood
Michael Hendricks and Lesley Bourne 

Mental health and risk behaviour
Alan Flisher and Aník Gevers

Basic health care services for children
Anthony Westwood, Maylene Shung King and Lori Lake

Managing resources and building capacity in the context of child health
Haroon Saloojee

Strengthening community-based child health services in South Africa
Nomathemba Mazaleni and Lesley Bamford

Towards child- and family-friendly health services
Minette Coetzee

Addressing the social determinants of health
Lori Lake and Louis Reynolds

A vision for child health in South Africa
The honourable Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi

Recommendations
Maurice Kibel

 

PART THREE: CHILDREN COUNT – THE NUMBERS

Introducing Children Count – Abantwana Babalulekile
Katharine Hall and Lori Lake

Demography of South Africa's children
Helen Meintjes and Katharine Hall

Income poverty, unemployment and social grants
Katharine Hall

Child health: The general context
Katharine Hall 

Child health: HIV/AIDS
Leigh Johnson, updated by Katharine Hall 

Child health: Nutrition
Lizette Berry, Katharine Hall and Michael Hendricks

Children's access to education
Updated by Katharine Hall

Children’s access to basic services
Updated by Katharine Hall and Double-Hugh Marera

Children’s access to housing
Katharine Hall

Technical notes on the data sources
About the contributors

 

CAPE TOWN - Nearly all pregnant women in South Africa are making use of antenatal care clinics during pregnancy (97%), while nearly three-quarters have received antenatal services five times during their pregnancy (71.4%). There is also a high utilisation of public primary health care services for children in South Africa - although this does not always mean that services such as immunisation services are utilised.

These are some of the findings from a new study, The Health of our Children in South Africa: Results from a national HIV prevalence population survey , released in Cape Town today. The study is a further analysis of data gathered for the Third South African National HIV, Behaviour and Health Survey, 2008 which included adults and children. The survey sample for the children's report comprised 8,966 children aged 0-18 and is nationally representative. This survey was the first to also capture the health of children aged 0-2 years old.

The survey was funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) using funds from the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The research consortium consisted of the HSRC, the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Centre for AIDS Development, Research and Evaluation (CADRE), the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Key findings of the study

 

Maternal health

The Department of Health's Ten Point Plan includes reduction of maternal and child mortality by improving the health status of this population. Therefore, access to good quality antenatal care and primary h

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched the 4th edition (full text, pdf, 3.49 MB) of Facts for Life. According to the publication, almost 9 million children died in 2008 from preventable illnesses before reaching their 5th birthday. Half of these deaths were from pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, measles and AIDS. Undernutrition is a contributing cause of more than one third of these deaths. The publication provides information on how to prevent child and maternal deaths, diseases, injuries and violence. This edition is different from previous as new sections and chapters were added, such as Newborn Health and Child Protection.

From UN Pulse:  Permanent Link: UNICEF - Facts for Life

Machel study 10-year strategic review: children and conflict in a changing world

1996 Machel Study (A/51/306 and Add.1) [“The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children”] challenged the world to recognize that "war affects every right of the child."

According to 2006 estimates, more than 1 billion children under the age of 18 were living in areas in conflict or emerging from war; around 300 million of them were under age five, and more than 18 million children were refugees or internally displaced.

 

http://www.worldvision.org/resources.nsf/main/G8_paper_08.pdf/$file/G8_paper_08.pdf

 

Thanks to Fareeda Jadwat for this. Celia

Undocumented children in Europe: invisible victims of immigration restrictions
This site provides free access to the full text of a 115 page report published by PICUM, Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants. ISBN 9789080781399 in 2008. It surveys the current situation of migrant children in Europe. Topics covered include: access to education, healthcare, housing and other civil and human rights. From Intute.ac.uk
http://www.picum.org/HOMEPAGE/Daphne%20Conference/Undocumented%20Children%20in%2

UNICEF has launched the 2009 State of the World's Children (full text, pdf, 2.3 MB; statistics). This year's theme addresses maternal mortality. According to the website, "The difference in pregnancy risk between women in developing countries and their peers in the industrialized world is often termed the greatest health divide in the world.... Addressing that gap is a multidisciplinary challenge, requiring an emphasis on education, human resources, community involvement and social equality."

UN Pulse permalink

Children and AIDS: Third stocktaking report (full-text, 1.94 MB), jointly prepared by UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), was released on World Aids Day. The Third Stocktaking Report calls for several actions that can bring changes in the next one to three years:

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has issued the State of Asia-Pacific’s Children 2008 (full text, pdf, 3.35 MB). According to the UNICEF press release, the report finds that while child survival in Asia and the Pacific has improved considerably, deepening economic disparities have meant that the region’s poor are often unable to access proper health care. Global achievement of the health related Millenium Development Goals depends largely on India’s success and on China accelerating progress. Learn more from the UN News Story.

UN Pulse Permanent link 

The UN Mission Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) recently issued a report of grave violations against children in the context of armed violence in Haiti (full text, pdf, 39.3 KB). The report covers violations of the human rights of children from January - July 2008, and notes that kidnappings of children are of high concern and that children were involved in the protests against food price increases in April. UN Pulse Permanent link

The Humanitarian Action Report is UNICEF’s annual appeal for children and women affected by emergencies around the globe. The report includes:

• regional and country chapters and human interest stories;
• an overview of funding requirements for 2008 and a look back at emergency funding in 2007
• a review of lessons learned from the tsunami disaster – one of the largest emergency situations ever faced.

Access the PDF download centre to download the report in full, or by chapters which include individual country reports.  UN Pulse: Permanent Link: UNICEF Humanitarian Action Report 2008

Children and armed conflict in Somalia
The latest report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Somalia has been issued (S/2008/352). According to the summary,
"The report stresses that the level of grave violations against children in Somalia has been increasing over the past year, particularly with regard to the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict; the killing, maiming and rape of children; and the denial of humanitarian access to children."

UN Pulse Permanent Link: Children and armed conflict in Somalia

The latest report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Somalia has been issued (S/2008/352). According to the summary,

"The report stresses that the level of grave violations against children in Somalia has been increasing over the past year, particularly with regard to the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict; the killing, maiming and rape of children; and the denial of humanitarian access to children."

 UN Pulse Permanent Link: Children and armed conflict in Somalia

Children and AIDS: Country fact sheets
This companion volume to Children and AIDS: Second stocktaking report presents statistical data for 157 countries and territories.

 

Children and AIDS: Second stocktaking report
This report reviews advances made over the past year or so in four areas where HIV and AIDS affect children. It finds that most countries have made important gains in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV and in paediatric treatment. Some countries have made progress towards HIV prevention goals, and more AIDS-affected children are benefiting from protection, care and support services. But much more remains to be done. The report also explains the need for improved norms, standards and guidelines to ensure effective implementation of programmes.

Children and the Millennium Development Goals: Progress towards A World Fit for Children
Children and the Millennium Development Goals is an adaptation of the Secretary-General’s report ‘Follow-up to the special session of the General Assembly on children’ (A/62/259), 15 August 2007, considered by the General Assembly at its 62nd session in September 2007. It contains updated data and presents information from 121 country and territory reports.

The State of the World’s Children 2008: Executive Summary

The State of the World's Children 2008 examines the current state of child survival and primary health care for mothers, newborns and children – and outlines strategies for reducing under-five deaths and providing a continuum of care. The pocket-sized executive summary provides an overview of the full report and includes regional summary indicators.

The latest report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict has been issued (A/62/609-S/2007/757). The report concerns ending the recruitment and use of children in conflicts, including killing and maiming of children, rape and other sexual violence, abductions, denial of humanitarian access to children and attacks against schools and hospitals by parties to armed conflict. The report concludes with a list of recommendations and includes annexes naming groups that use children in various conflicts around the world. Permanent Link: Children and Armed Conflict report UN Pulse

UNICEF has launched the 2008 State of the World's Children. The report provides an assessment of the current state of child survival and primary health care for mothers, newborns and children and examines lessons learned in child health. In addition to the full report (pdf, 4.4 MB), the website has multimedia content, fast facts, and statistical data. The Themes and Profiles section provides alternative ways to read the information from the report. Permanent Link: State of the World's Children 2008 UN Pulse

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reports on the organization's progress in helping children in countries affected by the tsunami of 26 December 2004 in the areas of education, health, nutrition, water and sanitation, HIV/AIDS and child protection. The report Three Year UNICEF Tsunami Anniversary Monitoring Report is available in pdf (full-text, 292 KB).
Related: UNICEF: 2 years after tsunami

Permanent Link: UNICEF: 3 years after tsunami UN Pulse

Background and updates on drinking water and sanitation issues around the world, focusing on child and family health, hygiene, and access to sanitation facilities. Features stories about the impact of sanitation improvement activities, water and sanitation country profiles, statistics, video clips, and general and technical documents. From UNICEF.
URL: http://www.unicef.org/wes/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24852

Annotation copyright of LII.ORG 

In 1996, a UN report “The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children”, the Machel study, brought the issues faced by children in armed conflict to the world's attention (A/51/306, symbols of subsequent reports available from UN-I-QUE). Ten years later, the Machel Strategic Review has been convened.

UNICEF and the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict have launched a youth report Will you listen? Young voices from conflict zones (pdf, 384 KB). This report compiles the views and recommendations of some 1,700 children and young people in 92 countries.

Read more in the SRSG's press release or get involved at UNICEF Voices of Youth website. See also our previous post.

Permanent Link: Young Voices from Conflict Zones  UN Pulse 

The report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict has been released (A/62/228). Part 1 of the report provides an overview of the critical themes relating to children and armed conflict and highlights significant developments over the reporting period and also focuses on the field visits of the Special Representative. Part II represents the findings of the strategic review of the study by Graça Machel (A/51/306 and Add.1), marking the 10 year anniversary of the report. UN Pulse Permanent Link: Children and armed conflict

The latest report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Sudan has been issued (S/2007/520). According to the report, Sudanese children continue to face grave violations of their human rights, including their recruitment and use by armed forces and groups and rape and sexual violence. The report identifies parties to the conflict who violate children’s rights and outlines action plans to address violations. Read more in the News Story. UN Pulse Permanent Link: Sudan's Children

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has issued a new report, Update for Partners on the Situation of Children in Iraq, about growing risks to tens of thousands of displaced children due to pervasive heat, poor hygiene and lack of water. Learn more from the News Story or from the ReliefWeb page for Iraq.

Permanent Link: Children in Iraq

From UN Pulse

World Bank Policy Research Working Papers

+ Full Paper (PDF; 300 KB) (More)