Somalia records highest under 5 mortality rates globally-report
At least 130 children under the age of five in every 1,000 live births die in Somalia, a new study by the charity Save the Children has revealed raking the Horn of Africa country among the riskiest countries for children.
The report, End of Childhood Report notes Somalia records the highest under 5 child mortality rates in the world with 132.5 children in every 1,000 lives births not being able to celebrate their 5th birthday.
The report which also comes ahead of the International Children’s Day on June 1 adds that a significant number of children, 48.7% in Somalia are out of school-either primary or secondary school.
Under five child mortality rates for every 1,000 live births in Eastern and Southern Africa stand at an average of 61.4 while the Sub-Saharan African average is 78.4.
Somalia ranks 170 out of 175 countries sampled.
Globally, more than half of all children – over 1.2 billion – are threatened by widespread poverty, conflict or discrimination against girls, the report notes.
In its second year, the report titled The Many Faces of Exclusion, also includes an index depicting where childhood is most and least threatened among 175 countries. The index tracks “childhood enders” – life-changing events that cause children to miss out on childhood – including displacement by conflict and extreme violence, mortality rates of children under age 5, adolescent birth rates, child marriage, child labor, school dropout rates and malnutrition.
Save the Children President Carolyn Miles said children in most parts of the world have been denied the chance to explore their childhood.
“Most of the world’s children are being robbed of their childhoods and their futures because they’re living in poverty, growing up in warzones or experiencing discrimination for being girls.”
Despite progress in many countries such as disrupting events like early marriage, exclusion from education and poor health, Miles said, progress is not happening quickly enough for the world’s most vulnerable children.
The report also found that almost 153 million children are living in 20 countries affected by conflict, poverty and discrimination against girls—including South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Afghanistan.