U.N. report says Britain worst place for children

[714]

this is the first of i’ve heard of something like this…i didn’t realize…any comments?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070214/wl_nm/britain_children_dc;_ylt=AsWNj5lehalzStoFDU5Ru5HjOrgF

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is the worst country in the industrialized world in which to be a child, theUnited Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday.

The charity looked at 40 indicators to gauge the lives of children in 21 economically advanced nations – the first study of its kind – and found Britain’s children were among the poorest and most neglected.

Children’s charities and opposition politicians described the findings as “shameful” and accused Prime Minister
Tony Blair’s government of failing a generation of children.

Britain lagged behind on key measures of poverty and deprivation, happiness, relationships, and risky or bad behavior, the study showed.

It scored a little better for education but languished in the bottom third for all other measures, giving it the lowest overall placing, along with the United States.

Children’s happiness was rated highest in northern Europe, with the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark leading the list.

“All countries have weaknesses that need to be addressed and no country features in the top third of the rankings for all six dimensions,” said David Bull, UNICEF UK’s executive director.

The study found there was no consistent relationship between a country’s wealth, as measured in gross domestic product per capita, and a child’s quality of life.

The Czech Republic, for example, achieved a higher overall ranking than economically wealthier France.

‘SHAMEFUL’

Colette Marshall, UK director of charity Save the Children, said the report was a “shameful” verdict on Britain.

“Despite the UK’s wealth, we are failing to give children the best possible start in life,” she said in a statement.

She said “drastic action,” including an injection of 4.5 billion pounds, was needed to meet a government target of halving the number of children in poverty by 2010.

A government spokeswoman said the data in the report – mainly taken from 2000 to 2003 – was not up to date and that reforms introduced through the “Every Child Matters” initiative had improved child welfare.

There were 700,000 fewer children living in relative poverty than in 1998/99, and the overall number living in absolute poverty had been halved, she said.

But the Child Poverty Action Group said the report was “an important reminder that we need to go further, faster” and the chief executive of the Children’s Society, Bob Reitemeier, described it as “very worrying” for Britain.

George Osborne, Treasury spokesman for the opposition Conservative Party, said the report was a damning indictment of the policies of Blair and his finance minister and likely successor Gordon Brown.

“After ten years of his welfare and education policies, our children today have the lowest well-being in the developed world,” he said. Brown had “failed this generation of children and will fail the next if he’s given a chance,” Osborne said.

[mAd_ScIeNtIsT]

Re: U.N. report says Britain worst place for children

Yet another example of how things were better under the Conservative Party. End the years of Labour mismanagement.... vote Tory!

[Mr_Fraudia]

Re: U.N. report says Britain worst place for children

I miss John Major :(

[mercenary2k]

Re: U.N. report says Britain worst place for children

what this report fails to mention is the reason that UK's children in such a bad shape is that large majority of them are these illegal immigrants and refugees who have dragged england's ranking down

[Mr_Fraudia]

Re: U.N. report says Britain worst place for children

yup thats true

[InformedConsent]

Re: U.N. report says Britain worst place for children

I was keenly expecting such a report, because I was shocked to see the current plight of the children, living in absolute poverty. They are extremely unhappy and depressed:crying: . Their wellbeing is just a dream to me. I wish they could be happy and give us a smile at schools.

[vroom]

Re: U.N. report says Britain worst place for children

@mercenary2k

what this report fails to mention is the reason that UK's children in such a bad shape is that large majority of them are these illegal immigrants and refugees who have dragged england's ranking down

^^rant of a man with an agenda
ive always reckoned mercenaries to be idiotic bafoons and you really reinforce that view.
youve failled to understand the findings or the indicators this study was based on. this shows your severe lack of ability in understanding issues from an unbiased point of view. your dementia has set in well

[mercenary2k]

Re: U.N. report says Britain worst place for children

^^ instead of ranting perhaps you care to expand upon your views with some factual backing

[retroguy02]

Re: U.N. report says Britain worst place for children

^^ Well nailed, mercenary2k

[vroom]

Re: U.N. report says Britain worst place for children

^^no nails, just a racist union