The report highlighted that despite significant progress, disadvantaged children are still not the priority.
In 2015, 5.9 million children under 5 died of treatable diseases because their families didn’t have enough money. 124 million children couldn’t attend school because of war or poverty. These figures show despite significant progress, inequality is hurting hundreds of millions children worldwide.
Youssouf Abdel-Jelil, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam said: "In Vietnam, significant progress has been made in saving children’s lives, getting children into school and lifting people out of poverty. Yet, the gap still exists, especially among children in remote areas. In these areas, the infant and maternal mortality rate is 4 times higher in those in the plains".
Chau Thi Tao, H’Mong Ethnic Minority said: "While I am studying, many of my childhood friends already have one or two kids".
Pham Van Hoang, Tay Ethnic Minority said: "My wife and I have a close friend who used to go to school with us. Yet, he could not attend class any more as his family could not afford it. He had to stay at home to work".
This clip is filmed by UNICEF where a 6-year-old girl she pretends to be alone on the street. When she was dressed nicely, many came to her aid and invited her to the restaurant. Yet, when she dressed like stricken by poverty, she was ignored and even turned away. She was treated so poorly that they ended up calling off the experiment.
This year is predicted to be a gloomy year for children because of disasters and conflict. Millions of children are trapped in an intergenerational cycle of disadvantage that endangers their futures. Action is necessary to give a fair chance to every single child.
