Canada ranks low when it comes to child equality: UNICEF
Posted April 14, 2016 7:07 am.
Last Updated April 14, 2016 1:19 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – When it comes to education, health, and the overall well-being of kids, you’d think Canada would rank relatively well when compared to other first-world countries. But a new report for UNICEF shows it’s actually quite the opposite.
“We were really disappointed to see that out of the 35 richest countries in the world, Canada ranked 26th in overall child inequality. That’s a shocking statistic for us,” says UNICEF Canada CEO David Morley.
The report looks at health and education among other things. “We’re not investing enough in children. That has allowed income inequality to become greater so that the poorest kids are falling behind, not only the richest kids, but the middle class. They start feeling more left out and that leads to other issues,” he adds.
And that can mean children feeling like they just don’t have a chance to succeed in life. The report also found in Canada, nine per cent of children reported very low life satisfaction, more than the average among rich countries.
“As Canadians, we are privileged to live in a wealthy nation. We have no excuse for the inequalities that continue to exist among our children. This report provides insight into how we can close those gaps and improve child well-being for all of Canada’s kids,” says Morley.
He points to curbing unhealthy eating among kids as a top priority.
Finland, Switzerland and Austria top the list of countries in the report.
