A flagship report released by ChildFund Alliance finds it will take 113 years for women and children to witness the full implementation of their rights.
Published since 2015 by ChildFund Alliance’s Italian member WeWorld, the World Index measures the living conditions worldwide of women and children by assessing the promotion, exercise, and violation of their rights. The 2024 edition presents a global ranking of 157 countries, identifying the root causes of rights violations and areas most urgently in need of intervention.
Among the key findings is that one in three children and more than one in four women live in countries with minimal implementation of human rights protections; today’s societies are generally less democratic and secure for women and children; and educational rights have stagnated.
The global rankings find Sweden, Iceland, and Norway leading in the protection of rights for women and children, followed closely by Switzerland, Australia, and Denmark. At the bottom are Mali, Niger, and the Central African Republic, and Chad.
ChildFund Alliance released the report at an event in New York on November 13, with Manuel Fontaine, Special Adviser, Child Rights at UNICEF, providing the keynote address. Panel participants during the program included Lisa Ann Kurbiel, Head of Secretariat at the UN Joint SDG Fund; Daniel Seymour, Director of Strategic Partnerships at UN Women; Sarah Jonson, Technical Advisor, Youth Agency & Engagement at International Youth Foundation; Gillian Huebner, Executive Director of the Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues at Georgetown University; and Casey Harden, CEO/General Secretary at World YWCA who served as moderator. Martina Albini, Research Centre Coordinator at WeWorld presented on the methodology and findings of the Index.
Children’s right to a future
The Index also includes a focus on the right of children and youth to have a future, and reflects on consultations with 10,000 children from 41 countries where the Alliance operates, capturing their fears, hopes, and dreams for the future.
In developing the Index, ChildFund consulted children on issues including poverty, conflict, and climate change. “Our goal was to assess the extent to which children and young people involved in ChildFund projects realize their fundamental rights, and also to engage them in dialogue on issues directly affecting their daily lives,” said ChildFund Alliance Secretary General Meg Gardinier. “We remain committed to building upon our eight decades of collective history to ensure a more inclusive world where children’s voices are heard and considered.”
Commenting on the report’s findings, Manuel Fontaine, Special Adviser, Child Rights at UNICEF, said: “Given the global pushback against human rights, it has never been more important to take proactive action to embed a child rights-based approach in all that we do. “Through recognising the inherent dignity and worth of every child, proactively addressing discrimination, and supporting children’s meaningful participation and engagement, we progress toward full realisation of children’s rights, as laid out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
Common themes across borders
Despite differences in geography and culture, young people identified common themes and priority actions they believe are crucial for their future, and five priority requests from children emerged:
- improve access and quality of education to achieve our goals;
- protect us from violence and discrimination;
- ask and listen to our opinions;
- understand and respect us; and
- encourage, guide and support us.
“For me adults can significantly help young people build their future by providing quality education, mentorship, support, setting good examples, creating opportunities, and listening. Education should include critical thinking, creativity, and emotional intelligence.” (Girl, 14, Philippines)
“Adults should help children to live in a safe place, far from conflict areas” (Boy, 18, Ethiopia)
“For me, adults should be more understanding and not be judgmental. Respect our choices despite everything. And not try to live our life, let us make our choices” (Girl, 16, France)
Creating a better world for children
With the importance of meaningful child participation a unifying theme across all countries and regions, ChildFund Alliance members have developed recommendations aimed at strengthening mechanisms for involving children.
They include:
- mainstreaming child participation;
- ensuring safe, inclusive, and equitable participation;
- investing in capacity-strengthening, and
- monitoring and accountability indicators and tools.
To learn more about the findings, visit our World Index dashboard or download the report, available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish.