NEW YORK: Around 180 million children are more likely to live in extreme poverty, be out of school or suffer a violent death than their parents, according to a Unicef report released on Monday.

According to the Unicef analysis, 180 million children live in 37 countries where they are more likely to live in extreme poverty, be out of school, or be killed by violent death than children living in those countries were 20 years ago.

“While the last generation has seen vast, unprecedented gains in living standards for most of the world’s children, the fact that a forgotten minority of children have been excluded from this — through no fault of their own or those of their families — is a travesty” said Laurence Chandy, Unicef Director of Data, Research and Policy.

Unicef is commemorating World Children’s Day, which marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, with global children’s ‘take-overs’, high-profile events and other activations of children in over 130 countries to give children their own platform to help save children’s lives, fight for their rights and fulfil their potential.

“It is the hope of every parent, everywhere, to provide greater opportunities for their children than they themselves enjoyed when they were young. This World Children’s Day, we have to take stock of how many children are instead seeing opportunities narrow and their prospects diminish,” added Chandy.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2017