Unmet needs, rights unfulfilled

A review of the situation of children in the middle childhood period in light of the rights stipulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child reveals that many children's rights remain unfulfilled.

Here we've identified key rights named in the CRC, and described some of the realities in the world today that endanger those rights.

The CRC recognises children's right to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work deemed hazardous, which interferes with schooling or that is harmful to the child's development in any way.

However. . .

The number of working children in the developing world (aged 5-14) has reached 250 million. About 60 percent of these working children are in Asia, with 32 percent in Africa. About half of them, 120 million children, work full time.

This situation result from many factors, including poverty, and age-old expectations that children will work.

But the world is changing, the lives confronting our children demand that they be educated and that they learn.

The CRC states that children in the middle-childhood period should not be recruited to participate in hostilities, but that they should have their rights protected in conflicts.

However. . .

In the past decade, an estimated 2 million children were killed during armed conflicts, while 6 million were injured or even permanently disabled. Over 1 million were separated from their families and 12 million were left homeless.

In 1997, there were 50 million refugees and "internally displaced persons," with an estimated 50 percent of these children.

The CRC calls for the protection for and care of all children, and of the civilian population in general, in armed conflict.

However. . .

Children's environments are contaminated by more than 110 million landmines in over 68 countries, with mines in fields, temples, and even schools. These mines kill or maim 26,000 people every year. Children make up roughly 45 percent of those victims.

The CRC calls for compulsory, free primary education for all.

However. . .

At least 130 million children of primary school age, mostly in Asia and Africa are not in school. Of these children, roughly two thirds are girls.

Although the gap in enrolment between boys and girls has narrowed, approximately two thirds of those not in school are girls.

Many of the children who are still in school are at risk as well: with work responsibilities, including those in the home, as well as lessons that don't match their needs or interests, they are at risk of leaving school early or of attending classes while learning nothing.

The CRC states that disabled children must have access to and receive education, training, health care and rehabilitation services.

However. . .

There are 150 million children with disabilities, about 50 percent of whom are in this age group. Of these, only 2 percent are attending school. Less than 5% of all children with disabilities receive rehabilitation of any kind. Such children are often not provided with learning opportunities at home, tend to be hidden away, and thus become invisible.

The CRC stipulates that all children should enjoy the highest attainable standard of health, including treatment facilities; and have access to preventive health care education and services.

However. . .

There are many countries where large populations of children, and girls in particular, are already victims of HIV/AIDS. In 1997, there were 590,000 new cases of HIV infection and 460,000 cases of death due to AIDS reported among the 0-15 age group.

HIV/AIDS has also orphaned over 8.2 million children aged 6 to 12, with many of these orphans assuming responsibilities for even younger children. In Zambia, for example, children head an estimated 11 percent of households.

The CRC calls for the provision of adequate amounts of nutritious foods and the development of primary health care.

In South Asia, half of all children are underweight. In sub-Saharan Africa, nearly one third of children are malnourished. Poor health and nutrition compromise the physical and mental growth and development of a large proportion of children.

And these effects carry over to middle childhood and adulthood.

The CRC calls for the provision of clean drinking water and basic environmental sanitation.

There are three billion people in developing countries without access to sanitation. One billion people still do not have access to safe water. About 25 percent of these people are children, whose growth and development are threatened.

The CRC calls for the protection of children from all forms of physical and mental violence, abuse, and exploitation, as well as for the abolition of traditional practices that threaten children's health.

However. . .

In many societies, violence, sexual exploitation, incest and abuse, as well as traditional harmful practices affect children, and girls in particular. Surveys taken in different nations report that 27 to 34 percent of women suffer sexual abuse during childhood, many times within their own families.

And there are other risks. . .

In Russia, for example, the number of adults charged with involving children in criminal activity tripled between 1989 and 1994, to almost 21,000 cases. There has been a surge world-wide in the incidence of adults using children to commit crimes, ranging from house-breaking to the transporting and distributing drugs. In many countries, these children can now be tried as adults.

As teachers, we can't solve every problem. But we can help children learn about their rights, we can establish safe and equitable learning environments, and we can work with community leaders and families to build understanding of the rights of the child.

For more information, go to The Right to Education.