Child mortality in Bangladesh fell by 5.3 percent
Gap between boys’-girls’ survival prospects closed
Dhaka, Sept 5 (UNB) - Child mortality rate in Bangladesh fell by an average 5.3 percent annually from 1993 to 2007 and the gap between boys’ and girls’ prospects of survival closed, reveals Save the Children’s report titled `A Fair Chance at Life’.
The report says Bangladesh has defied the odds and is now on track to achieve MDG 4 and in part, the country did this by focusing on increasing equitable access to life-saving health services, such as immunisations, treatment of diarrhoea and family planning for the poorest segment of the population.
It says microcredit schemes, improved female education, the growth of vibrant women’s civil society organisations and networks, declining fertility rate over the past three decades, and expanding job opportunities for women have all contributed to a narrowing of disparities between the sexes.
Save the Children’s report comes two weeks before world leaders gather in New York to discuss all of the MDGs - internationally agreed targets to combat global poverty by 2015.
With only five years to go, the goal to reduce child mortality by two-thirds (MDG4) is one of the most off-track as global child mortality has only fallen by 28 percent since 1990 - far short of its 67 percent target.
The report says the lives of more than a million children could have been saved in Asia over ten years if countries had reduced child mortality among poor children at the same rate as better-off ones.
In a new report, the aid agency claims it has discovered a dangerous trend among many countries of reductions in child mortality being concentrated among children from better-off communities, leaving children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds behind.
Save the Children says that an average global reduction in child mortality of 28 percent over the past decade masks a dangerous expansion of the child mortality gap between the richest and poorest families in many countries, including India, Nepal, Pakistan, Cambodia and the Philippines.
The report highlights, however, that it is possible for countries to reduce child mortality in an “equitable way” - so that the poorest communities are not discriminated against - and identifies seven countries where child mortality fell and the gap in life chances between rich and poor narrowed.
Ben Phillips, Save the Children UK’s Regional Strategy Director for Asia based in Bangkok, said: “Every six seconds, a child dies from preventable causes in Asia. Equity is a huge problem.”
He says across Asia there are tall and healthy children living in urban areas who go to good schools and eat good food, while children in many rural provinces are malnourished, tired and work in the rice fields everyday, unable to reach their full potential.
“Nearly nine million children under the age of five die every year and almost half of them live in Asia. Many die because their parents can’t afford to give them the right food, or take them to a doctor when they fall sick.
“Governments are turning their back on some of the poorest children in Asia simply because it is easier or more convenient to help children from better-off groups,” Philips says adding every child has a right to survival.
He says: “What’s more, our research shows that prioritising the poor is one of the surest ways for countries to reduce their overall child mortality rate.”
`A Fair Chance of Life’ highlights that some countries’ failure to focus on the poorest has dramatically slowed efforts to stop those children dying from preventable causes.
It reveals that if countries had reduced child deaths across all communities at the same rate as they had reduced them among the fastest-improving group, four million children’s lives could have been saved across 42 countries in ten years. Pakistan, for example, would have prevented an additional 323,000 deaths.
Save the Children warns that unless world leaders take a radical new approach to cutting child mortality by focusing on equity and ensuring universal access to basic healthcare and other essential services, the MDGs will not be met.
Jasmine Whitbread, Save the Children International’s Chief Executive, added: “This is a battle we can win. We have the knowledge and resources to accelerate progress and get Millennium Development Goal 4 back on track.”
She says even countries with very low incomes can save thousands of lives by making political choices that make sure the poorest families get the help they need.
“But we need world leaders to agree to a concrete plan for the next five years that prioritises and protects the world’s poorest and most vulnerable children. World leaders have a make-or-break opportunity when they meet in New York later this month to get this plan in place.”
The report says Bangladesh has defied the odds and is now on track to achieve MDG 4 and in part, the country did this by focusing on increasing equitable access to life-saving health services, such as immunisations, treatment of diarrhoea and family planning for the poorest segment of the population.
It says microcredit schemes, improved female education, the growth of vibrant women’s civil society organisations and networks, declining fertility rate over the past three decades, and expanding job opportunities for women have all contributed to a narrowing of disparities between the sexes.
Save the Children’s report comes two weeks before world leaders gather in New York to discuss all of the MDGs - internationally agreed targets to combat global poverty by 2015.
With only five years to go, the goal to reduce child mortality by two-thirds (MDG4) is one of the most off-track as global child mortality has only fallen by 28 percent since 1990 - far short of its 67 percent target.
The report says the lives of more than a million children could have been saved in Asia over ten years if countries had reduced child mortality among poor children at the same rate as better-off ones.
In a new report, the aid agency claims it has discovered a dangerous trend among many countries of reductions in child mortality being concentrated among children from better-off communities, leaving children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds behind.
Save the Children says that an average global reduction in child mortality of 28 percent over the past decade masks a dangerous expansion of the child mortality gap between the richest and poorest families in many countries, including India, Nepal, Pakistan, Cambodia and the Philippines.
The report highlights, however, that it is possible for countries to reduce child mortality in an “equitable way” - so that the poorest communities are not discriminated against - and identifies seven countries where child mortality fell and the gap in life chances between rich and poor narrowed.
Ben Phillips, Save the Children UK’s Regional Strategy Director for Asia based in Bangkok, said: “Every six seconds, a child dies from preventable causes in Asia. Equity is a huge problem.”
He says across Asia there are tall and healthy children living in urban areas who go to good schools and eat good food, while children in many rural provinces are malnourished, tired and work in the rice fields everyday, unable to reach their full potential.
“Nearly nine million children under the age of five die every year and almost half of them live in Asia. Many die because their parents can’t afford to give them the right food, or take them to a doctor when they fall sick.
“Governments are turning their back on some of the poorest children in Asia simply because it is easier or more convenient to help children from better-off groups,” Philips says adding every child has a right to survival.
He says: “What’s more, our research shows that prioritising the poor is one of the surest ways for countries to reduce their overall child mortality rate.”
`A Fair Chance of Life’ highlights that some countries’ failure to focus on the poorest has dramatically slowed efforts to stop those children dying from preventable causes.
It reveals that if countries had reduced child deaths across all communities at the same rate as they had reduced them among the fastest-improving group, four million children’s lives could have been saved across 42 countries in ten years. Pakistan, for example, would have prevented an additional 323,000 deaths.
Save the Children warns that unless world leaders take a radical new approach to cutting child mortality by focusing on equity and ensuring universal access to basic healthcare and other essential services, the MDGs will not be met.
Jasmine Whitbread, Save the Children International’s Chief Executive, added: “This is a battle we can win. We have the knowledge and resources to accelerate progress and get Millennium Development Goal 4 back on track.”
She says even countries with very low incomes can save thousands of lives by making political choices that make sure the poorest families get the help they need.
“But we need world leaders to agree to a concrete plan for the next five years that prioritises and protects the world’s poorest and most vulnerable children. World leaders have a make-or-break opportunity when they meet in New York later this month to get this plan in place.”
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