UNICEF Canada lists 2012’s most underreported stories

TORONTO – The head of UNICEF Canada called on the media on Wednesday to do more to inform Canadians about the plight of children in other parts of the world.

David Morley said 19,000 children die every day of mostly preventable causes. “We believe Canadians should know about these children who have died and what is being done to keep other vulnerable children alive,” he said in a press release.

Morley’s statement came as UNICEF Canada released its list of 2012’s Underreported Child Survival stories. Compiled with the help of The Meltwater Group’s media monitoring service Meltwater News, the list is intended to shine a spotlight on threats to children that go underreported in Canada.

The report includes issues such as the malnutrition crisis in Yemen, the effects of climate change on malaria prevention programs, and efforts to send pneumonia vaccines to remote areas of Ghana.

Included on the list:

– UNICEF Canada said there is a reluctance to report drowning deaths in Asia, home to 95 per cent of child drownings. In one Bangladeshi town alone, it said, drowning is is the cause of 50 per cent of the deaths of children from one to four years old. The organization provides swimming and water safety lessons.

– UNICEF Canada said babies of child brides are 60 per cent more likely to die before their first birthday than those born to adults. Many are born premature and severely underweight and those who survive are more likely to suffer malnutrition and late development. “The long term solution to this problem must include a global effort to end child marriage,” the report reads.

– The report by UNICEF Canada estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide remain without proper sanitation, causing the deaths of as many as 700,000 children under five from diarrhea. The organization said more needs to be done to educate people about the benefits of latrines to put an end to defecating in the open.

“There are many stories that do not get told,” said Morley. “This report tells their stories.”

Download the full UNICEF Canada report here.