NCJ Number
238248
Date Published
February 2012
Length
156 pages
Annotation
This report from the United Nations' Children's Fund (UNICEF) examines the state of children around the world who are living in urban areas.
Abstract
This report was developed by the United Nations' Children's Fund (UNICEF) and its partners to examine the situation of children living in urban centers around the world. The analysis found that hundreds of millions of children currently live in urban slums without access to basic services and vulnerable to an increasing number of dangers such as violence and exploitation. The information in the report is presented in five chapters. Chapter 1 looks at the number of children living in an increasingly urban world, while chapter 2 examines the rights of children in urban settings. These rights include access to health care, clean water, sanitation and hygiene, better education, and improved safety. Chapter 3 examines the factors that shape the lives of children in urban settings. These factors include the reasons the family moved to the city and their experiences with migration as well as the challenges the families face resulting from economic shocks, violence, and disasters. Chapter 4 presents examples of effective practices that provide services for children ensuring their health, safety, and well-being. Chapter 5 explores five key areas in which action is required to improve the lives of children in urban settings. These areas include understanding urban poverty and exclusion, identifying and removing barriers to inclusion, putting children first within a broader goal of equity in urban planning and service delivery, promoting partnerships between the urban poor and their governments, and ensuring that everyone works together to achieve results for children so that they may enjoy their full rights. Figures, references, and tables