Facts
Every three seconds a child dies from easily preventable causesWorldwide Facts:
- Every day almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related illness – one child every 5 seconds
- Almost 10 million children die each year before their fifth birthday- many from easily preventable and treatable causes such as malaria, diarrhoea, pneumonia and malnutrition
- Over 1 billion children do not have access to decent sanitation
- Over 2.3 million children under the age of 15 have been recorded of having HIV and AIDS
Education
- Over 115 million children do not get a basic education - 60% of which are girls
Orphans
Children who suffer the death of their parents are most often exposed to the most extreme forms of exploitation. With a lack of parental care and guidance, they are often forced to fend for themselves and bare the responsibilities of a full-grown adult.
- 143 million children in the developing world are orphans- 1 in every 13.
- More than 16 million children were orphaned in 2003 alone.
- Over 15.2 million children have already been orphaned by AIDS.
Hazardous Labour
Forced by the depths of poverty, an estimated 171 million children – of which 73 million are under 10 years old – are working in hazardous circumstances, including work with chemicals and pesticides in agriculture, with dangerous machinery on construction sites or in mines. These children face serious risks of injury, illness and death. Many of these children are forced to work more than 12 hours a day and earn extremely low wages.
In poorer traditional societies, daughters are often perceived as financial burdens on families and, in turn, are often sold and coerced into marriage. Research shows that there is a much higher risk of early death for young brides who often become pregnant prematurely: girls under the age of 15 are five times more likely to die in childbirth than girls in their twenties. Their children are also less likely to survive.
- 1 in every 3 girls in the developing world is married before 18.
- In the poorest countries, the ratio rises to 1 in every 2 girls.
Child Soldiers
Hundreds of thousands of children are caught up in armed conflict – namely as soldiers, cooks, or sex slaves for armed forces among other roles. While under the control of armed forces, children are forced to participate in and endure horrific atrocities.
- It is estimated that over 250,000 children are currently serving as child soldiers in armed conflicts worldwide.
Trafficking
- An estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked worldwide each year-most often for child labour or sexual exploitation.
Forced Labour
- Of the 1.39 million people involved in forced commercial sexual exploitation, 40 -50 percent are children.
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Sources: UNICEF, World Health Organization, United Nations Population Division and United Nations Statistics Division.
