UNICEF: Over 95 Percent of Brazilian Children Attend School

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched yesterday, November 12th, a study showing the impacts of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Brazilian population. The survey shows that 95.3 percent of children and adolescents between the ages of 4 and 17 regularly attend school.

There has been a 71 percent decline in child mortality in Brazilian children since the 1990s, well above the 33 percent target set by UNICEF. However, the study shows that violence has become a widespread problem for juveniles, particularly those belonging to ethnic minorities or vulnerable groups.

Low levels of vitamins in ultra-processed foods – those that have a high concentration of preservatives, sugars and fat and are ready for immediate consumption – pose a risk to all income groups in all regions of Brazil, according to the survey.

The lack of a physical exercise routine for children and youths is also an important factor in the overweight issue of the Brazilian youth population. Among adolescents, 17.1 percent are overweight, and 8.4 percent are considered obese.

The survey data also show that access to drinking water is not yet universal.

The national average water service index is 83.3 percent, but access in the states of Acre, Pará, Rondônia, and Amapá is only available to 50 percent of the population.

The rate of sewage availability is even more alarming: only 51.9 percent of Brazilians have treated sewage and access to drainage, which directly affects the young population’s health.

The National Program for Fighting Sexual Violence against Children and Adolescents (PNEVSCA), which includes initiatives such as Dial 100, and the Integrated and Referential Action Plan for Fighting Sexual Violence against Children and Adolescents in Brazilian Territory (PAIR) were regarded as positive actions in the fight against violence to children and youths, according to the study.

But the scenario is still seen as critical. According to data from Dial 100, negligence (72.7 percent), psychological (48.8 percent), physical (40.6 percent) and sexual violence (22.4 percent) were the most frequent types of abuse against children and adolescents.

According to UNICEF, the so-called “climate crisis” and the increase in the incidence of mental illness among young people are important targets for the coming years.

The report also points out that there is a growing decline in childhood vaccination, which can lead to outbreaks of diseases currently under control or previously thought eradicated, as in the case of measles.

The publication of the study marks the 30th anniversary of the ratification of the Unicef treaty, which was also signed by 195 other countries and is regarded as the most comprehensive international treaty in the world.

Source: Agência Brasil