TORONTO – “Every child deserves to enjoy good physical and mental health and the opportunity to develop their skills and abilities. But when it comes to child and youth well-being, Canada barely gets a passing grade” says UNICEF in its “Report Card 19” where the number 19 is in fact Canada’s position in a ranking of 36 countries, far below the highest level expected for one of the world’s richest nations.

Countries with lower wealth than Canada, such as Portugal and Spain, performed better according to the report, in terms of child well-being, ranking 4th and 7th, respectively. The Netherlands, Denmark and France topped the rankings, climbing onto the podium. “As a G7 country, Canada can be a world leader in creating the best conditions for children. Instead, Canada is stuck in the middle of the pack and fails to impress…”.

The UNICEF report, titled “CHILDHOOD INTERRUPTED: How Canada’s Child Well-Being Compares to Other Wealthy Countries” (here a  summary) assesses countries’ performance based on key indicators of child and youth well-being: these indicators include life satisfaction, adolescent suicide rates, child mortality, overweight rates, and academic and social skills, and these measures are grouped into three main life areas, mental well-being, physical health and skills development.

“Canada’s performance falls behind most of its peer countries in most aspects of children’s lives. Among six indicators of child well-being, Canada ranks in the top 12 countries in only one: academic skills” (6th place, out of 42). But even this strength, warns UNICEF, is in danger of fading because “reading and math scores have declined in Canada in recent years and as many as one third of children fall below the academic proficiency benchmark, with no progress made over a five-year span”.

Canada also ranks near the bottom in three of the six indicators: teen suicide (33rd out of 42: suicide remains a leading cause of death among teens, and the rate in Canada is still higher than in most other countries); infant mortality (25th out of 43: only Eastern European countries have higher infant mortality rates than Canada, New Zealand and the United States); and social skills (28th out of 41). Moreover, according to the report, “one in five children in Canada face frequent bullying, one in five are lonely, one quarter are not learning the social skills they need for life, and more than one in four are overweight…”.

The UNICEF report also provides some guidance on how to improve the situation, urging all levels of government to adopt measures that include: doubling the child disability allowance; increasing access to income-based benefits and parental leave for newborn care; inclusive education that begins with access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare and ends with the acquisition of social and academic skills needed for life; access to healthy food in school, every day, expanding existing investments; promoting a healthy and safe environment for children in all aspects, including protection from marketing, digital harm, injury and victimization and climate change; easy access to preventive and timely care for mental and physical health.

“Children have one chance at childhood, the most sensitive stage of human development. They pay the highest price if our policies and programs don’t prioritize their well-being. The newly elected government – concludes UNICEF – has an opportunity to put children at the top of the policy agenda…”.

Foto di Rudy and Peter Skitterians da Pixabay