Nepal progresses in child development

Kathmandu, May 28: Children born in Nepal today have a much better chance of growing up healthy, happy, educated and protected than the children born twenty years ago, a new report by Save the Children has found.

The Global Childhood Report 2019 ranks Nepal 133^rd out of 176 countries based on a range of indicators like infant mortality, access to education, malnutrition, child marriage and child labour.

According to the report, Nepal has progressed by 142 points in the past two decades. "The country has achieved huge reductions in child mortality, seeing a 59 per cent decrease since 2000, allowing more children to survive the first five years of life," read the report.

In addition, new national estimates suggest the child labour rate in Nepal has been slashed in half over decade while child marriage rates have been cut by one third in two decades.

But Save the Children says too many Nepali children are still missing out on the childhood they deserve, with some of the most vulnerable being left behind. 36 per cent of children aged 0-5 years are still malnourished and 37 per cent of children are engaged in some form of child labour.

“Our report shows that progress for Nepali children has been truly impressive. For that progress to be sustained, we encourage the government to increase investment in targeted interventions for the most vulnerable children, including newborns, early learners, girls, ethnic minorities and Dalits,” said Ned Olney, Country Director of Save the Children Nepal.

 Globally, at least 280 million children have improved health, education and are safer than at any time in the past two decades.

The report shows the world has made remarkable progress in protecting childhoods, thanks to strong political leadership, social investments, and the success of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Singapore tops the rankings as the country that best protects and provides for its children, with eight Western European countries and South Korea also ranking in the top 10.

The most dramatic progress was among some of the world’s poorest countries, with Sierra Leone making the biggest improvements since 2000, followed by Rwanda, Ethiopia and Niger. The Central African Republic ranks last, with Niger – despite recent progress - and Chad rounding out the bottom three countries where childhoods are most threatened.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily  on 29 May 2019.