2007 UNICEF Report Card on Child Well-being
The UNICEF Innocenti Report Card series monitors the performance of industrialized countries towards securing the rights of their children; demonstrates what is practically achievable in the world’s most economically advanced countries; and provides comparative experiences and evidence-based insights to further debate on children’s rights issues.
Report Card 7 compares the rights and well-being of children in 21 of the world’s richest countries. Canada ranks a mediocre 12 out of 21 countries in overall child well-being.
Child poverty in perspective: An overview of child well-being in rich countries measures 40 indicators in six dimensions to capture the quality of children’s lives in the world’s most affluent nations. Many countries have relative strengths (Canada ranks 2 out of 21 in educational achievement) and disturbing weaknesses in how the rights of children are fulfilled (Canada ranks close to the bottom of the table in children’s risk and health behaviours, and in relationships with peers and family). Despite being an affluent country, Canada is failing to fulfill the rights of children to the highest attainable standard in a number of crucial ways:
- About one in six children in Canada live in poverty, which leads to poorer physical and mental health, and higher risk behaviour and social exclusion.
- About 1 in 5 Canadian children are obese or overweight, which increases their risk for long term poor health.
- 39.3% of young people plan to take up low-skilled work.
- Less than half of Canadian young people report just talking to their parents several times a week.
- 40.4% of Canadian young people have used cannabis in the previous year.
- 37.2% of Canadian children have been bullied in the previous two months.
The 11 countries higher up the league table of child well-being show that it is possible to do better. Almost all measured aspects of children’s lives can be improved with the right policies, programmes and services – and the social consensus that children’s best interests come first.
First Nations Children
First Nations children must have an equal opportunity to grow up within their families, in their communities and in their culture. No First Nation child should have to forego this opportunity as a result of poverty or lack of basic services.
The UNICEF Report Card does not disaggregate national data, as such information is not available in the data sets used to enable comparisons across OECD countries. However, we know that in Canada, aboriginal people are at the bottom of almost every available index of well-being, including educational levels, housing conditions, per capita incomes and other conditions that impact on the survival and development of children:
- The child poverty rate for aboriginal children is double that for other Canadian children, at 30%. One in 4 aboriginal children lives in deep poverty in contrast to 1 in 6 other Canadian children.
- First Nations children are more than 3 times as likely to be under the care of child welfare as other Canadian children.
- Close to 27,000 First Nations Children have been removed from their families, most as a result of poverty.
- One in 3 aboriginal children lives in overcrowded and inadequate homes, and many lack access to clean water.
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) among First Nations is estimated at 25-30 times the national average.
- 30% of Aboriginal youth drop out of school – double the general population rate.
- Smoking rates among First Nations youth are 3-4 times the Canadian rates.
- 30.9% of First Nations children report having suicidal thoughts. The suicide rate is 8-10 times that of other Canadian youth.
- First Nations children have twice the disability rate as other children.
- More than 50% of First Nations children are overweight or obese, compared to about 20% of other Canadian children.
The intergenerational legacy of cultural destruction, in part from the very recent residential schools experience of abuse and deprivation, has a devastating impact on child well-being. However, the way forward is evident in the initiatives of First Nations communities and agencies and supportive partners.
A Canadian Report Card
UNICEF Canada calls on the federal and provincial governments to create an annual Report Card that measures progress and gaps in the rights and well-being of Canadian children. The Report Card should include measures similar to the UNICEF Report Card, and add indicators in areas including: child and youth mental health; early childhood care and education; the situation of First Nations, disabled and newcomer children; and child maltreatment and exposure to domestic violence. It should be linked to a sustainable all-party National Action Plan for children that addresses comprehensive aspects of child well-being, with timebound and measurable targets and investments.
For Young People
In the past, the quality of children’s lives has been judged by how much money their families have. But we know that well-being is about much more than that. That’s why UNICEF’s Report Card shows how the health, schooling, poverty levels and relationships of Canadian young people compare to the experience of children and youth in other wealthy countries.
Find out how well Canada is doing for its children with these short summaries of the UNICEF Report Card for young people: