Pakistan ranked 148th best country to grow up in

Islamabad

Pakistan is ranked 148th best country to grow up in, out of 172 total countries examined in a report ‘Stolen Childhood’ on a range of indicators related to childhood.

The report launched on Thursday comprises an index of 172 countries where Pakistan narrowly made it to the group 150 best countries for children to experience childhood but stayed behind Sudan (144) and Yemen (140). Among our neighbours, Afghanistan stood 152nd, India 116th, Iran at 80th and China at 41st position.

Top ten countries for childhood include Norway, Slovenia, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, Ireland, Iceland, Italy and Belgium. Guinea is ranked the worst country to have childhood in. The report is published by Save the Children globally to coincide with the International Children Day and was launched in Pakistan by Child Rights Movement (CRM).

According to the report index, Pakistan performed worst on child stunting which affects 45 per cent of children under 5 across the country. Besides that, more than a quarter of children do not go to school in the country which is again among the highest rates in the world.

The report says that, for at least 700 million children worldwide, and perhaps hundreds of millions more, childhood has ended too soon. The major reason included poor health, conflict, extreme violence, child marriages, early pregnancy, malnutrition, exclusion from education, and child labour. It says that one in every four children being robbed of their childhood.

Around 263 million children are out of school, 168 million are involved in child labour, 156 million children under age 5 have stunted growth, about 40 million girls (age 15-19) are married or in union, nearly 28 million children have been forced to flee their homes as refugees or asylum seekers, around 8 million die each year and more than 75000 were murdered in 2015. Every day, more than 16000 children die before reaching their 5th birthday mostly from preventable or treatable causes.

The report says that over two third of the world’s stunted children live in 10 countries with highest number (48.2 million) living in India and second highest (10.7 million) living in Pakistan. Pakistan tops in stunting prevalence with 45 per cent of total child population with not enough food and nutrients to grow properly. Besides that, Pakistan is on the 8th position among top ten countries with highest number of out of the school children.

Speaking on this occasion, CRM Coordinator Alishba Yousaf said that Pakistan’s ranking is not a surprise when you look the alarming rate of stunting and malnutrition in the country where more than eight per cent of children fail to survive till their fifth birthday.

These alarming statistics underscore the importance of the first 1000 days of a child’s life when they are most susceptible to stunting and most in need of good nutrition. This is an area that must dramatically improve if Pakistan is to move up in the world ranking and most importantly, ensure every child across the country can benefit from the safe and happy childhood,” she said.

About out of the school children, Alishba said that it was encouraging that Pakistani government is taking steps for free and compulsory education. “However, some striker measures are required to ensure compliance to the law,” she pointed out.

Article source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/208083-Pakistan-ranked-148th-best-country-to-grow-up-in